I Will Find You
by DrakiraDormiens
Summary: Season 4 Finale Spoilers (picks up right where the finale left off)! Emma Swan has been taken by the darkness and Killian Jones will stop at nothing until he finds her. But how will he get her back when she is now the new Dark One? Will they get their happy ending or will Emma succumb to the darkness within her? Read and Review! Captain Swan and a hint of Snowing and Outlaw Queen!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N. Hello! This is my first published work on here (up until now I've been a silent reader). If you like it, please comment and favourite. Should I continue?**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything :(**

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Chapter 1

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She was gone. The darkness had taken here and she had disappeared right after saying the three words he had pictured on her lips for ages. _I love you_.

He was shaking, trembling. A feeling of numbness settled over him as he fell to his knees. He vaguely felt others shaking him, saying something. He couldn't hear them. He didn't _want_ to hear them.

Emma was gone and he didn't know if he would ever get her back. Maybe a different Emma, a dark Emma, but not _his_ Emma. He had seen the darkness take her and he just stood there, helpless to do anything. And then she had vanished, leaving nothing but a gleaming dagger.

No. Emma wasn't gone forever. She wouldn't want him to think like that. He would find her. He _had_ to find her. Killian Jones was not a coward. He would do whatever it takes to get her back—no matter what would happen to him. He had sacrificed himself for Emma once to save her. He would do it again in a heartbeat if it came to that.

"Hook! Killian!"

The voice brought him back to reality as he steeled himself and looked up at the source. David. Her father. He was standing above him, his face set in determination. Mary Margaret had stood tall beside him, tears running in rivulets down her face, but fire burning in her eyes. He knew in that moment he wasn't alone. They would help him find her. They would bring Emma back.

David helped him up and they turned to face Regina. She was the one out of all of them who could possibly know anything about Emma's disappearance. Her face was grave as she watched them and Killian thought he might have seen a hint of remorse as she spoke, still holding Robin as if he was grounding her to the real world.

"The dagger," she said, tilting her face toward the solitary piece of metal lying on the concrete. Killian understood where she was going and ran to pick it up, turning it over with trembling hands. Her name. _Emma Swan_. It was almost laughable. The Dark One, the one he had been hunting for so many centuries, had his heart cleansed of the darkness, only for it to invade Emma's heart.

He felt a sudden anger swell up inside of him. Gold. Rumpelstiltskin. He was responsible for this. It was his fault she was gone. His fault her name was now inscribed on the dagger. Killian felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked back to see Mary Margaret, shock clearly visible on her features as she gazed at the dagger over his shoulder.

Regina wasted no time. She had walked up to them in a matter of seconds and snatched the dagger from his hands, examining it with a hard expression on her face.

"Could we summon her?" asked David as he joined the rest of them. "Could the dagger be used to bring her back?"

Regina sighed. "I don't know. She might be in a different realm for all we know. For now, I don't think we should try until we have more information."

Killian stared at her, anger broiling up inside of him. Before he knew it, his face was inches away from hers, anger enveloping every part of his mind. "What do you mean we shouldn't try?" he growled. "If there's a way to bring Emma back, then do it!"

Regina seemed to be unfazed by his proximity, for she took her time in replying. "We don't know what will happen if we bring her back." Her tone was almost snappish, but there was a softness in her eyes he had not seen before. "She might not even recognize us. She could _kill_ someone. All that darkness at once can't be a good thing."

A small part of his brain told him that it was the logical answer not summoning her immediately, but the rest was filled with an overwhelming desire to grab the dagger from the evil queen's hands and call her right there.

"We should ask Gold. He would know about this," suggested Robin, moving forward to place a comforting hand on Regina's shoulder.

David shook his head. "Gold is...ah...indisposed at the moment," he replied. "He won't be much help until he wakes up— _if_ he wakes up."

Killian remembered, back at the shop, he was almost hoping the crocodile would stay in his sleep-like state. He had caused them so much trouble—he had almost crushed Killian's heart—both literally and figuratively. It was only because of Swan he was there. Her love brought a new life into him. But now—now he would to anything to wake Gold. He could help them find Emma.

"The sorcerer's apprentice!" piped up Mary Margaret. "He's in Gold's shop. He should know what to do."

Regina nodded grimly. "Did he happen to mention anything about the sorcerer himself? I've heard he has powers we couldn't dream of! If anyone can help us find Emma, it's him."

"He said something about a Merlin," supplied Killian.

Regina's face turned dark for a moment but her anger was gone as quickly as it had come. "The sorcerer's apprentice is our best bet for now," she said. "Merlin is almost impossible to find. Although, not many people want to find him."

She started off toward the pawn shop, not looking back to see if anyone was following her. The rest of them hurried after her, but Killian lagged behind. Something niggled at the corner of his mind. Regina's face when he had said Merlin's name—it was almost like she knew him. He shrugged off the thought as David shouted at him to hurry up.

Right now there was only room for one thought: finding Emma. And he would stop at nothing until he reached her and said those four small words. _I love you too_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. Wow, two updates in one day! Thanks for all the reviews and favourites and follows, they really encourage me! Promise the next few chapters will be longer—I just have to set a base for this story :) Also, in this story, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is alive (they don't explicitly tell you if he lived or died in the season finale)**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned OUAT, I would definitely not be writing fanfiction...**

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Chapter 2

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 **REGINA POV**

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"Belle!" called Regina as she entered the dank shop. "Belle!"

The pretty brunette hurried to the front as she heard her name, staring questioningly at their grim faces. "What happened?" she asked, scanning the crowd situated in front of her. "Where's Emma?"

Regina replied before anyone else could. "She sacrificed herself," she said, her jaw set. "Emma was taken by the darkness." She held up the dagger so Belle could clearly see the name carved upon it. She didn't bother waiting for the girl's shocked expression to subside and ploughed on. "We need the sorcerer's apprentice."

"Of-of course," stammered Belle, clearly still stunned by the recent events. Regina herself still hadn't gotten over the shock. Emma had sacrificed herself. For _her_. Why would she do that? Why would anyone do that? All her life Regina had gotten used to being alone and facing the brunt of her problems on her own. Now she had people who actually cared about her. Cared enough to save her. Emma had helped her find her happiness and she was going to do the same for her.

Belle led them to the back room where she had given the old man a place to relax after nearly being killed by the dark tendrils of magic that had emerged from the hat. He looked up in surprise as the six adults entered the room, clearly not expecting any visitors this early.

"How can I help you?" he asked as Belle aided him in sitting up. Regina saw the bags under the old man's eyes and realized that the darkness had taken a bigger toll on him than he had let on.

"Emma's gone," said the pirate before anyone else could speak. She showed the apprentice the dagger with her friend's name. Surprisingly, he didn't seem too shaken. It was almost as if he had seen it coming.

"How do we get her back, Sorcerer?" asked David rather aggressively. Regina saw how much he cared for his daughter in his eyes. She saw how much they all cared for Emma.

"Oh, I am far from the Sorcerer," he chuckled. "I am merely his apprentice. You may call me Der. My name—Der Zauberlehrling." His eyes scanned the crowd in front of him briefly, his eyes stopping to rest on Regina. "As for getting her back, well, the answer is quite simple. Summon her. If anything will get her back, that will." His eyes lowered to the dagger she held in her hands. "However, I cannot guarantee it will work. Or if she will be the same person anymore."

Regina exchanged glances with the rest of her accompaniment. Summoning Emma with the dagger would bring her back, but the darkness would still be inside of her. She could destroy the town if not on a leash. She could hurt _Henry_. She wouldn't risk Emma coming back to them if it meant she would hurt her son. But Emma was her friend. She sacrificed herself for Regina. She gulped and lifted the dagger from her side, then surprised herself by giving it to Hook.

"Summon her," she commanded.

Hook gulped as the others looked on, holding the dagger close to his heart. "D-dark One," he began, his voice gaining power as he continued, "I summon thee."

The dagger glowed white and Regina shielded her eyes momentarily, expecting Emma to appear in front of them any moment. She lifted her hand just in time to see the light on the dagger flicker out and die. Hook looked confused for only a moment before shooting an accusing glare at the apprentice.

"You said it would work!" he shouted. "You said she would come back!"

The old man seemed to be deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowing inward. "There is only one explanation for her not being able to come, well, the other explanation being she is dead."

The pirate's temper flared again and he pinned the man to the wall. "Tell me why," he snarled through gritted teeth, enunciating each word carefully, as if he wanted to be sure the message would get through.

Regina pulled him back as she saw the old man struggling to breath. As Hooks extra appendage parted from his neck, Der collapsed on the bed, massaging his throat. "Calm down," she hissed at the angry man beside her. "We aren't going to get any information if you keep letting your temper get the best of you."

Her expression softened as she saw the hopelessness in the pirate's eyes. "Don't worry," she whispered, quiet enough to keep the others from hearing. "She's fine. Emma is tough." What she said was true. Regina was sure Emma was alive.

Regina turned to glare at the apprentice once more. "Well, what is this other explanation?" she snapped.

The bearded man didn't seem to mind her angry tone—in fact, it seemed to amuse him. "She is in another realm. Even the Dark One doesn't have the power to travel across realms. Miss Swan couldn't come here even if she tried."

"So she's in the Enchanted Forest?" asked Mary Margaret, speaking for the first time since they had arrived at the shop. "Or Neverland?"

Regina gritted her teeth. She had a guess to Emma's whereabouts, but she didn't want to voice her thoughts just yet. Not until she was proven right. She hoped to god she wasn't right. Going back there again...she would much rather travel to the Enchanted Forest.

"Not quite," answered Der softly. "The darkness has, let's say, something of an 'instinct'. It automatically goes back to where this whole thing started, taking the one it possesses along with it. To the land where it all began—the birthplace of the man who created the Dark One.

Regina didn't dare breath as she registered the information. Her fears were proven right. Emma was in that dreaded place—the place she had promised herself never to go back to. "The sorcerer," she hissed quietly, "Merlin."

Mary Margaret turned to face Regina. "Merlin? So that would mean Emma's in—"

"Camelot," interrupted Regina. "We're going to Camelot."

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 **EMMA POV**

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Emma groaned as she attempted to stand up, clutching her head to lessen the stabbing pains. What had happened? She remembered thrusting the dagger into the air...and then darkness. And Hook. Oh god, _Killian_. She had told him that she _loved_ him. Did he love her? She knew somewhere inside of her that he did, but her mind would accept it until she heard him say the words too. _And now he may never get the chance,_ said a small voice inside of her head. _You took away his happy ending by sacrificing yourself. He's lost two loves now and it's all your fault._

She shook her head as if it would make the voice go away. She had _felt_ the darkness enter her. It had seeped into her mind, her body, her heart. She would not let it take her over. She would not let the darkness win. Rumpelstiltskin may have given in, but she would fight it. She would get back to her parents, her son, her pirate.

First, Emma had to figure out where she was. It looked to be similar to the Enchanted Forest, but she couldn't be sure. She seemed to be near the edge of a forest. Emma stumbled a little, and then steadied her pace as she trudged forward. Her first goal was to get out of the forest, maybe find some human company—or at least figure out where in the world she was.

She could see light peeking through the trees and pushed herself forward, determined to get out of the forest. She emerged only a short while later, her jaw dropping as she gazed at the sight in front of her.

It was a _castle_. A huge castle—bigger than the one she had seen when she had gone to the Enchanted Forest with her mother. She could see the flag billowing in the wind: a giant cloth of blue embroidered with an insignia of a roaring lion. A silhouette of a dragon was placed against a background of red on a second flag next to the first one. Where was she?

Emma didn't have the chance to take another step forward before she felt the point of something sharp pressing into her back. "Don't move," growled a deep voice.

She gulped softly. She needed to talk her way out of this—then she could get some information. If it came to a fight, she was prepared to use her magic. "State your name and purpose," hissed the man behind her.

"Emma Swan," she said smoothly. "As for my purpose...well, I just want to go back home." She decided telling the truth would be better than telling a lie and getting into trouble for it later. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Camelot is where you are," he snarled. "And you are coming with us to see the king."

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 **Hope you liked this chapter—next chapter we'll see Henry's reaction and maybe a glimpse of what's going on in Camelot!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites, and follows! I know six reviews isn't much compared to other stories but they still brighten my day** **Also, thank you to the guest reviewer for pointing out Der Zauberlehrling is literally the sorcerer's apprentice in German—it's still his name in this story though!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or any of the characters (my bank account is proof of that...)**

 **On with the story!**

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Chapter 3

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 **KILLIAN POV**

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Killian shook his head, slightly confused by Regina's answer. Camelot? Where the bloody hell was Camelot? He voiced his thoughts, and rather loudly at that. If Emma was in this 'Camelot', then he would gladly travel there, no matter what lay ahead.

Regina sighed, irritation clearly showing on her face. "Camelot is like the Enchanted Forest—dragons, castles, wizards. We'll find Merlin there." Again, Killian noticed how she said the sorcerer's name with a slightly different tone. She had a history with him, that much he could tell. With their luck, she had probably ruined his life or something.

He turned to face the apprentice, the man in question currently deep in thought. "Oi!" he snapped, waking him from his untimely reverie. "How do we get to this land?"

"Camelot is unlike most other realms," he replied. "There is only one way to get there—well, other than the one Miss Swan took." The Apprentice stood up suddenly, hobbling his way over to the various trinkets lining the tables in the pawn shop. He turned to Belle after a few moments of fruitlessly sifting through the items.

"Rumpelstiltskin—did he happen to have anything belonging to the sorcerer Merlin? Some sort of magical object, another dagger perhaps? It would have Merlin's mark on it—an 'M'"

Belle shook her head sadly. "I don't think he did. I can check, but I've been through most of the items here and nothing as far as I know has an 'M' on it. Rumple would know..." she hesitated, "but he isn't in any position to tell us about it." Her eyes seemed so downcast, Killian almost felt sorry for her. She might lose her love too.

"Why would you need that?" asked Robin, confusion covering his features. "Would one of his possessions allow us to travel to this land you call Camelot?"

The Apprentice nodded his head in confirmation. "Exactly. If you manage to acquire one of his properties, then I will be able to create a spell to bring you all to Camelot. There is no other way, I'm afraid, so if you fail in finding an object, you can never go after her."

They all remained silent for a moment. He didn't know if they would find an object at all, but he knew one thing for sure: he would not let Emma face this new world alone.

"Wait," said Regina, interrupting his thoughts, "I think I have something of the Sorcerer's." He turned to her along with the rest of them, with hope blooming in his chest. Maybe finding a way to get to Emma would not take so long after all.

"What is it?" asked David, raising an eyebrow. The man looked suspicious, and Killian couldn't blame him. Regina most likely owned a few shady objects, after all her time as the Evil Queen.

"None of your business," she snapped. "I'll make a quick trip to my vault and the Apprentice can poof us to Camelot." Her tone was so different; Killian almost took a step back. Right now, she seemed more like an Evil Queen than ever.

Snow and David seemed to be unnerved too, for they moved back slightly to allow Regina to pass. The woman strode past them, making no attempt to hide the murderous expression on her face. The door chimes tinkled as she swept out of the shop, leaving six very disgruntled adults in her wake.

Robin was still staring after her with a troubled expression minutes after she had left. "She knew Merlin," blurted Killian, unable to keep his suspicions to himself any longer. "I could tell, the way she spoke the Sorcerer's name."

To his surprise, none of them seemed very shocked. Apparently, they'd all had the same suspicions too. "I just wish she would tell me her past with him," whispered Robin softly. "I could help her—she just doesn't want to let me in."

The others looked at him sympathetically as he seemed lost in a world of his own. It seemed that all the couples were in jeopardy—well, except for the golden duo, Snow White and Prince Charming, of course.

As if on cue, Mary Margaret reached out and grabbed David's hand for comfort. Killian scoffed inwardly. How could they act like this when their own daughter was in an unknown world, facing unknown dangers? He knew his thinking was irrational, but it seemed unfair to him that his Emma was gone and everybody else got their happy ending. Out of all of them, the one who deserved their happy ending the most was Emma.

Belle asked them quietly if they wanted something to drink and she awkwardly supplied them with tea. They drank in silence as they waited for Regina to come back. Killian realized that if everything went according to plan, then he would hopefully be with Emma in a few hours. He couldn't wait that long—he needed to see her _now_.

"Hey," said a voice, snapping him out of his thought. He looked up to see a concerned David laying a hand on his leather-clad shoulder. "She'll be okay."

Killian sighed, afraid to voice his thoughts. What is she wasn't okay? What if she was injured? Captured? Dead? _No_. She was the bloody Dark One—she _couldn't_ die. That didn't stop him from imagining countless scenarios in his head.

"Hook," said David firmly. "Emma is strong. She's a fighter and she'll get through this. Don't worry, we'll find her."

"I know, mate."

To find Emma, he needed to think positively. But it was so damn _difficult_!

"Hey—Killian, listen to me," hushed David softly. "Emma may be alone, but we _will_ find her. Because that's what this family does," he continued, exchanging a loving glance with his wife, "we always find each other."

Killian lifted his head out of his hands and smiled half-heartedly up at David, offering him silent thanks. They would find each other. He found her in the Enchanted Forest, Storybrooke, New York, even in the alternate reality! He would find her now and he knew that nothing could stop him from succeeding. A new sense of hope filled his body, traveling through to his very core. Emma would come back to him.

The door chimes clinked again as Regina entered the pawn shop. They looked up to see her carrying a dirty brown bag in her hands, no doubt containing the object they needed to get to Camelot. Their only indication from Regina that she had found the object was a firm nod as she strode past them and handed the bag to the apprentice. "Get us to Camelot," she commanded.

"Very well," whispered the old man, reaching into the bag to grab what was needed for the spell. Killian strained his head to see what it was, but the apprentice kept it firmly covered with his fist. Killian was entranced by the glow that emerged from the old man's closed hand as he chanted.

" _Dear object of my master, you shall take us to his land,_

 _The spell of mine shall grant passage, guided by my hand._

 _Take us to the realm where the great kings have fought!_

 _Take us to the glorious land of great Camelot!"_

The room began to shake as uttered the last words and Killian found himself gripping David's arm to keep himself steady. From the middle of the room spiralled a great blue portal, sucking at his entire being. The apprentice had his eyes closed, concentrating hard enough to keep the portal open. Perspiration rolled off his forehead in tiny droplets and Killian jumped through the portal without a second thought.

The last thing he heard before jumping was a frantic shout. "MOM!" The world turned black as the portal sucked him through its opening, bringing him to the land where he would finally find his love. He felt ground beneath him as he landed on the surface with a hard thump.

Killian's eyes flickered open to find himself in a forest, light streaming through the trees. He propped himself up to a sitting position and closed his eyes momentarily, recovering from the ride.

It was a few moments before Regina's voice interrupted the blissful silence. "Henry?" he heard her shocked voice ask. "What are you doing here?"

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 **EMMA POV**

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Emma's eyes widened in recognition. She was in _Camelot_. Home to the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin, King Arthur, and the countless others she'd read about. She remembered the Apprentice saying something about Merlin in Gold's shop. Maybe he was here. He could help her get back home!

 _Why would you want to go back home,_ hissed the adamant voice in her head. _Nobody there cares about you. I'm sure they're_ happy _you're finally gone from their lives._ Emma blinked the thought away. She knew it was the darkness talking, but she couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by its comments.

"Move it," snarled the guard behind her, prodding her with his sword. She had let the man tie her hands together and allowed him to lead her toward the castle. Emma decided that seeing the king might be the best route for her right now. He could tell her where Merlin was—if the king was anything like in the stories, maybe he would help her. Besides, if worse came to worse, she could always use her magic to escape.

 _You could kill the guard. He's becoming rather annoying, constantly prodding you with his sword. You would be fine making your way to see the king by yourself._

Emma shook her head again, slightly alarmed now. This voice—she couldn't listen to it. She could feel the darkness residing in her body and bitter thought after bitter thought flew around in her head. But she couldn't listen to them.

The guard brought her to the castle gateway, calling for someone on the other side to lower the moat bridge. She tried to ignore the stares she received as she walked through the crowded little market on her way to the main entrance of the castle.

He led her through the main gates and toward what seemed to be the entrance to the throne room. Emma couldn't help but admire the tapestries lining the walls, depicting heroes defeating dragons, and noble knights completing quests. The doors opened with a creak and she found herself being forced to kneel. The voice in her head roared in indignation at the humiliating gesture, but she silenced it and focused on the man on the throne in front of her.

"Greetings, your majesty," she said curtly as the guard behind her allowed her to stand.

"Silence, wench," he snarled, glaring at her through heavy-lidded yes. His crown sat upon his head, balancing precariously—almost as if it would fall off at any moment.

"My apologies, King Arthur," she said softly, silently seething with rage at his attitude.

Her words elicited a short bark of laughter from the king, and she stared at him, surprised. "King Arthur?" he snorted. "King Arthur is dead."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N. Once again, thank you for all the support! Henry has finally joined the story! Yay! Here, you'll see what he was doing during the whole Dark One fiasco and maybe get a little more information on what Merlin's role is. Also, a slight change: in this story, the group left Henry at Granny's when Belle came rushing in to tell them about Gold.**

 **Disclaimer: Adam and Eddy own everything unfortunately (but I can dream, can't I?)**

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Chapter 4

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 **HENRY POV**

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Henry stared adamantly up at his adoptive mother, almost as if he was daring her to yell at him. He had jumped through the portal as soon as he'd seen Killian leap in. He couldn't let them go without him—he wouldn't be useless, not anymore.

* * *

 **2 hours earlier**

Henry entered the shop, being careful not to knock anything over. He heard Belle's soft voice echoing from the back room, soothing someone. Confused by this development, he peeked his head from behind the door, surprised to see a man he recognized as the Apprentice lying down on a small bed. His surprise grew as he glimpsed Rumpelstiltskin—Mr. Gold—sleeping peacefully on a cot adjacent to the wall.

He wondered what had happened in the few short moments he was sitting in Granny's Diner. Henry's frustration grew. His moms and the others were most likely on some sort of heroic venture (once again, without him). He was the Author now! He finally had something that made him special. Henry had always felt somewhat useless. What was he compared to the Saviour, the Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming, Robin Hood, Captain Hook, and nearly everyone else in the town? He was nothing special, just a kid who kept getting himself into trouble and waiting for his mothers to save him.

Henry sighed as his mind wandered to the kids at school. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous. They were all born in the Enchanted Forest—they had lives there. He had heard them talking about whose father had gone to war, the magic they'd seen on a daily basis and whatnot. They liked him for who he was, of course, but most of them only saw him as the son of 'The Saviour' or the grandson of the great Snow White and Prince Charming. Heck, he was even the grandson of the infamous Rumpelstiltskin!

Being the Author finally meant he had some power—he could finally make a difference. And what did they do when Belle came rushing into the diner asking for their help? They told him to stay put and keep safe! Henry's frustration rose and he accidentally knocked over a small vial of some sort of magical potion situated on the desk near him. It fell on the ground with an ear-splitting crack, glass and liquid splayed everywhere across the floor.

He jumped as he heard Belle's voice from the other room and rushed to hide. He knew if Belle saw him she would send him away, to someplace 'safe'. That was what always happened. He dashed over to the shop counter and quickly managed to get himself behind it. He ducked down so she couldn't see him and waited with bated breath.

"Now how did that happen?" he heard the brunette's voice say softly. He heard footsteps, and then the sound of glass being scooped up. A minute passed, and only the sound of Belle's cleaning could be heard. Henry scooted forward in an attempt to ease himself into a more comfortable position, only to bump his knee into a small, wooden box.

He paused for a second, not daring to breathe. When it seemed as if the mishap had gone unheard, he looked back down to examine his new find. The chest seemed to be unlocked, so once he heard Belle exit the room, he bid to open it. The box surprisingly swung open with ease, revealing what looked like a small, leather-bound notebook.

Henry grabbed it from its resting place and made to open it, curiousity eating away at his insides. The pages were yellowed in old, filled with a messy scrawl. He assumed Gold had wrote it, and his assumption was proven correct as he read the name on the inside cover. _Rumpelstiltskin_.

His eyes skimmed over the pages as he began to read. It seemed to be some sort of journal—most of it didn't make much sense to him, but some of the writing he could decipher. Henry flipped through the pages and read the parts that caught his eye.

 _ **Day 3:**_

 _I can feel it—the darkness inside me, creeping up on me like I am its prey. I am not fighting it. I am embracing it. It makes me feel power—power as I have never felt before and I like it._

 _ **Day 14:**_

 _My son is afraid of me. My Baelfire cringes in fear every time he sees me. No matter. He will learn to love my darkness, like I have. I can give him everything—he need just ask and I can give him his happy ending with a wave of my hand._

 _ **Day 127:**_

 _I lost him today, my son. I was too much of a coward. He is gone for now, but I swear I will spend all my days looking for him._

 _ **Day 983:**_

 _Belle has grown on me. My original plan was to kill her and simply be done with the girl, but maybe now I won't..._

 _ **Day 3027:**_

 _Merlin came to see me today. He tried to dissuade me from assisting the Evil Queen with her curse, but I refused him. No, this curse will be for the best. My son will be reunited with me once again and I will finally get what I deserve._

 _ **Day 3092:**_

 _The sorcerer is hindering our plans. The curse is the only way—he must accept that. No matter, we will be rid of him soon. Merlin can never get in my way again._

 _ **Day 3108:**_

 _Tomorrow is the day. The curse will be upon us soon. I will not be recording in this journal any longer. This is my last entry. Now, it is time for a new beginning._

Henry closed the journal, wide-eyed. What did Merlin have to do with any of this? He could understand most of it—the parts about his father, Baelfire, and the evil curse his mom casted upon all the residents of Storybrooke. But no one had ever told him about Merlin. He wasn't even in the book!

Gold had wrote something about Merlin trying to dissuade him from helping his mom with the curse, and later on he said something about being rid of him soon. What did he do with Merlin? Henry was itching with questions, but unfortunately had to put them aside when he heard the door chimes tinkle. He quickly threw the journal back into the box and closed it as quickly and quietly as he could. Then, he sat with abated breath, wondering who had entered the shop. He heard several pairs of footsteps make their way into the musty old building.

"Belle!" he heard his adoptive mother call. "Belle!"

He peeked around the desk for a brief moment and scanned the crowd huddled near the door in Gold's shop. He made a mental checklist: Mom, Robin, Gramps, Grandma, and Killian. There was someone missing. Emma—his real mother. Where was she? Why wasn't she with the rest of them?

"What happened?" he heard the voice of Belle say. "Where's Emma?" So Belle was wondering the same thing. A hint of worry invaded his mind, but he pushed it away. He was sure there was a completely plausible answer to why she wasn't here.

"She sacrificed herself. Emma was taken by the darkness."

Henry nearly fell over in shock. Tears began to prickle at the corner of his eyes, and he angrily wiped them away. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation between the adults, because he was too busy blaming himself.

He should have been there. Whatever had happened, he should have been there to stop it and save his mom. Wait! He was the Author now, couldn't he simply reverse everything that had happened? Couldn't he bring his mom back? Henry was about to burst out of hiding to reveal this to the group, but he was stopped by a realization. He needed ink to write anything in the book. And to get ink, he needed dark saviour blood. And his mom wasn't hear right now.

Henry slumped back against the side of the counter, frustrated by his inability to help in any way. Even when he was the Author, he couldn't do anything. Now, the least he could do was help find his mom. He heard raised voices from the other room, followed by someone exiting the shop. From here, he could see his mom, Regina, was the one who had strode out of the pawn shop. He had half a mind to follow her, but something told him to stay put. He had a feeling she would be back soon.

Minutes passed in silence. He could hear faint murmuring coming from the other room, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Henry sighed, unshed tears finally coming out. Whatever he never saw his mother again? What if she was gone forever and he never even got to say a proper goodbye? What if she was dead? Hundreds and hundreds of 'What if' questions floated around inside his head and he felt a feeling of despair take over him. But the despair was quickly replaced with a fiery determination. He would find her, no matter what.

It was only a matter of moments before he heard the door open again. Without hesitation, his adoptive mother strode into the back room. He strained to listen, shuffling closer, but he couldn't make out anything. That is, until he heard the chanting,

Henry quickly stood up and rushed toward the back room, peeking out from behind the doorframe. He saw the Apprentice, hands raised and face scrunched in concentration, performing some sort of spell. Henry caught the word 'Camelot' before a great portal of blue spiralled out in front of the group inside the room. He saw Killian and the others rush toward it, face set in determination. "MOM!" he screamed.

He didn't want to be left behind again. He _couldn't_ be left behind. He needed to go with them—he needed to save his mother. So he did the only thing he could think of and jumped after them through the portal.

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

"What do you mean, King Arthur is dead?" Emma asked incredulously, staring up at the king in front of her. Of course, she shouldn't be surprised. She should know by now that fairy tales were seriously messed up in real life.

"I mean what I said, girl," said the king dryly. "Now what are you doing here?"

"Who are you then? If King Arthur is dead, then who are you?" asked Emma impulsively, completely ignoring his last command. The king's face turned red with anger.

"I am Mordred," roared the man, "and I am the new king of Camelot!"

Emma wracked her brain, trying to remember if she'd ever heard of a 'Mordred'. The name felt somewhat familiar but she couldn't recall the tale behind it. The king growled when she didn't feel the need to reply, and his hands shot out in front of him. Emma gasped as she was lifted into the air magically, his vice-like grip cutting off her oxygen supply. So he could use magic too.

She struggled in his hold, rage filling her insides until she saw nothing but red. She let out a harsh, guttural cry as her hands thrust out in front of her and a stream of black, dark power exploded from her palms. The darkness wrapped around Mordred's body, suspending him in mid-air and dropping her back on the ground.

Emma looked around her to see the guards backing away, their faces masks of fear. She smirked triumphantly as she saw Mordred staring at her from within his dark prison, partly in shock and partly with pure hatred.

 _Kill him now,_ whispered the voice in her head. _No one can treat you like that. He deserves death._

"And death he will get," she laughed to herself. She thrust her hands out, prepared to kill, only to find no one in front of her.

The coward. He had fled.

Emma growled in frustration and beheld the room, slightly surprised to see it completely devoid of people. She shook her head as she came to her senses. What was she thinking? She had nearly _killed_ someone! She would have never even thought about it before. What was happening to her? Emma's shivered as she gazed downwards at her hands. They were pulsing with energy— _dark_ energy.

She wasn't the Saviour anymore. She wasn't the hero. She was the Dark One.

* * *

 **Like it, love it, hate it? Remember, reviews fuel the fires of my creativity!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N. Okay, so first of all, thank you so much to all the beautiful people who have reviewed and favourited and followed! I was blown away by the amount of support you guys gave me and are continuing to give me! Honestly, when I first began this story I wasn't expecting to get more than 5 at most! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything *** **cries** *****

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

Henry glared up at her and she stared right back down at him. After a few moments of silent staring, Regina sighed and broke eye contact. She should have known better than to leave Henry alone at the diner. She should have known he would follow them—after all, he was Emma's son.

"Well," she said after a little while, slightly disgruntled, "let's go find Emma."

Henry still hadn't broken his stubborn stare with her, but this time his expression morphed into one of mild shock and slight happiness. "You're not going to yell at me?" he asked incredulously.

"What's the point," she murmured wearily. "It's not like I can send you back to Storybrooke now."

Henry grinned triumphantly and sent her a grateful glance.

"But," interrupted Mary Margaret, "that doesn't mean you're not in trouble." Her expression was a stern one, but Regina thought she saw a hint of pride hidden in her eyes.

Robin laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax," he said softly, "Henry's a brave young fellow. He'll be fine." Robin's expression morphed into one of humour. "Besides," he began with a smirk, "what would he have done back in Storybrooke? Help Ruby babysit his little uncle and Roland?"

Regina rolled her eyes, but offered him a soft smile. Robin had always found a way to ease the stress bottled up inside of her—whether it be about Zelena, Henry, or anyone else really, Robin helped her stay calm.

Henry's grin widened and he surprised her by giving her a sudden hug. "Thanks, mom," he whispered as he pulled back.

"Yeah, well don't expect me to let you do anything dangerous," she said dryly, but she couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her face.

Hook slapped Henry on the back and scanned over the crowd in front of him. "Well," he began, "let's begin, shall we? We need to find Emma." His face held such determination and resolve that Regina felt a hint of respect for the pirate. She knew that he would do anything to save the one he loved.

"Where to first?" asked Henry.

"Well, she'd probably have gone to Merlin," murmured David softly. Regina noticed his hand was tightly intertwined with that of his wife's and rolled her eyes. A slight hint of unease began to grow inside her as David mentioned the Sorcerer's name.

"Where _is_ this Merlin?" snapped Hook suddenly. "We don't bloody well know if he's even alive, do we?"

Regina was annoyed by his tone, but at the same time she understood where he was coming from. Considering her past with Merlin, she wouldn't be surprised if he had made himself impossible to find. Gold would know more, but he currently wasn't in any position to tell them anything. Even if the former Dark One woke up, he would be in a different realm, and therefore no help to them.

"You're right, we don't know where he is, or even if she's alive," she conceded. "But there are people here who do."

"So what," scoffed Hook, "we're just going to pick some random man off the street and question him about the whereabouts of a wizard he most likely doesn't know a thing about?"

"Well," she replied, her tone heavily tinged with annoyance, "it would be better than simply standing here and doing nothing!"

Hook opened his mouth to no doubt contradict her words, but was interrupted by Mary Margaret. "Hold it!" she shouted. "We can't be arguing now. Finding Emma is our main priority and to do that we have to work together!"

Regina saw the sense in her former rival's words and contented herself by shooting a glare at the pirate. Hook glared right back.

"Mom," urged Henry, tugging at her sleeve. "Come on, we have to go! We can't stand here all day!"

She grudgingly allowed her son to pull her forward and the company marched onward. It reminded her Neverland, only they weren't searching for Henry. They were looking for Emma.

As they walked, her mind wandered to Merlin. The Sorcerer. If it were her choice, they wouldn't be looking for him at all. She knew that he would bring them nothing but trouble. Trouble that they would do best to avoid. But she couldn't ignore the fact the Merlin could be their best chance at getting Emma back. His magic was more powerful than even Rumpelstiltskin's.

She noticed Killian was matching her pace for pace, he face set with purpose. The man had already died for Emma once. She was afraid that he would do it again. Right now, he was acting much too impulsively. He would get himself into danger and they might be powerless to save him. She knew Emma's heart couldn't handle another man dying in her arms (she admitted, albeit reluctantly, that the first one was her fault). If Hook died in Camelot, it would push Emma even further into darkness. She would be that much farther from salvation.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Henry from beside her. "Once we find my mom, what are we going to do?"

"We'll get to that _when_ we find her, Henry," she replied. Though, she couldn't help but see some truth in his words. What if they got to Emma and she was already too far into darkness to be brought back? What if she tried to hurt them? Emma had already hurt Henry once with her magic, and that was by accident. Now, with all that darkness within her, she couldn't risk Emma coming near her son.

"Hey, look!" shouted Henry as they exited the forest, shaking her out of her reverie. "A castle!"

Regina looked up to see the King's castle. The castle she had spent so long trying to get out of. King Arthur be damned if he was still ruling. She had sworn she would rip him apart piece by piece, and she would if she ever saw him again. The fit of anger had overtaken Regina so quickly and intensely, she had failed to notice the guards patrolling near the castle gates. They hadn't seen the small group yet, thank god for that.

"Down!" hissed Regina, pushing Henry into a bush near them, along with the leather-clad man beside her. She only hoped that the rest behind her had followed her direction. It appeared they had, as the company was now all huddled behind a small briar bush, barely large enough to conceal all of them properly.

"Guards," she whispered sharply. "We need to get inside without them seeing us. The villagers in there should know who or even where Merlin is." She avoided mentioning the fact that she had met the Sorcerer previously. Though, by their expressions, she guessed that they knew already.

"Your magic," murmured Snow. "Create a diversion to send the guards elsewhere and we can get in."

"Can you lower the moat bridge for us?" questioned David.

"Of course I can!" scoffed Regina. The couple should know by now how far her magical capabilities stretch. "Henry," she said, turning to face the young boy beside her, "I need you to stay close. Whatever you do, do _not_ leave your grandmother's side."

Henry rolled his eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle myself."

Regina sighed.

"Go!" she hissed at the rest of them as they emerged from the bush. The group began running and Regina held her ground, a smirk on her face. Oh, she hadn't done this for a _long_ time.

She flicked her hand toward the trees to the far left, felling them in an instant. The guards' attention shot to the fallen trees as they thundered to the ground. As they left their posts to check out the disturbance, she shot a fireball toward the trees, just for good measure. Only a couple of years ago, Regina would have straight out killed the men and be done with them. But she had changed. Killing needlessly was beyond her now.

By now, the rest of them had gotten to the moat. She lowered the moat bridge with a skilful burst of magic and watched it fall on the ground as quietly as humanly possible. Regina smiled to herself, proud of her magical abilities, and disappeared in swirl of purple smoke, reappearing beside the others.

"Well," she said, gesturing toward the open gateway, "let's get moving."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma was trembling. She was shaking visibly and her mind chose that time to remember Killian's words. _"The darkness creeps up on you."_

She had promised herself she wouldn't let herself turn dark, and now she had gone and almost killed a person! Sure, she had killed Cruella before, but she had to—for her son. Emma shook her head, banishing the thought of the near murder from her mind. All that mattered was that she _didn't_ kill him. He was fine, probably hiding somewhere in his castle.

She needed to focus on her real goal: finding Merlin. And asking the people in the village would be the first step. They would know where Merlin was, hopefully. She smiled to herself. As soon as she found Merlin, she would ask him get the darkness out of her and take her back to her family. And if he refused...well, it wouldn't bode well for him. She was the Dark One now. Her powers had grown exponentially. Maybe she was even powerful enough to kill the great Sorcerer.

No. Why was she even thinking like that?

Emma strode out of the throne room and made her way to the castle gates. Guards watched her curiously as she passed by, but they seemed to be too afraid to do anything. She radiated some sort of power, some sort of _aura_ —something that hadn't been present before she gave herself to the darkness.

The doors swung open with a wave of her hand, and she walked through, paying no heed to the guards staring at her with their mouths agape. _Now,_ she thought, _how am I going to go about this?_

 _Gather them all,_ whispered the small voice in her head, _Gather them all together and show them the true extent of your powers. Then they won't hesitate to reveal all they know._

It made sense. Why go around asking the villagers one by one when she could simply arrange a town meeting and speak to them all at once? Gathering them all together would be a simple task with her magic.

She stopped at the town square and closed her eyes, concentrating. Within seconds, a large crowd of people had gathered in front of her, confused to why they had had the sudden urge to meet in the centre of their small village. Emma smiled as she willed their mouths shut to prevent them from interacting with their neighbours. A noisy town wouldn't listen well.

"Now," she said, flexing her fingers, "Who will tell me about the sorcerer Merlin?" Her eyes roved the crowd as she snapped her fingers, allowing them to voice their minds and speak.

"Who do you think you are?" shouted a man in front of her. He seemed weary and malnourished, as were the rest of the villagers. Their eyes were sunken and hollow and it appeared as if they had not eaten a proper meal in days. Emma felt a small twinge of sympathy inside of her, but she pushed it away. She could not afford to be sympathetic—she needed answers.

"I am your _new_ ruler," she said, her words surprising even herself. She had to admit, the idea was clever. She _had_ defeated the current ruler, Mordred. It was only fair that she assume the throne now. Besides, from what she could tell, Mordred had been a wicked ruler. The townsfolk needed a change.

"King Mordred is our ruler," hollered a rather brave woman near the back.

Emma nearly laughed. "Mordred is a coward," she hissed. "He fled as soon as I had the advantage." Her tone was almost scary. Emma shuddered. What was happening to her? She wasn't supposed to be like this. She was the _Saviour._ Or at least she had been.

The townspeople seemed to be in shock and after a short while, quiet murmurs filled the air. "Now that that's out of the way," she muttered quietly, "Where is Merlin?" Her voice resonated with power and a few people near the front stepped back. Emma could feel her hands glowing with a dark energy.

A small redheaded boy stepped up. He reminded her eerily of Henry, which only heightened her resolve. She would get back to her son. "Well?" she asked him icily. He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted.

"Emma?" asked a familiar voice incredulously.

She whipped her head in the direction of the voice and a gasp of shock escaped her.

"Killian?"

* * *

 **And there you have it! I know there haven't been many CS moments, but be patient! Next chapter is Killian's POV! Reviews make me happy :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N. I love writing fanfiction. It's like watching the show, but at the same time getting to choose what happens next (does that make sense? It made more sense in my head). Anyway, thank you for all your support!**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own a thing. Now on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

The company of six made their way through the gates without incident. Halfway over, Henry nearly fell into the moat, but Killian grabbed the lad with his hook and steadied him. The poor boy had to sit through a lecture from the Evil Queen herself as they walked on, saying various things about 'watching where you step' and 'what would we have done if you fell into the moat'.

Killian shot the boy a sympathetic glance and urged Regina to focus on moving forward. Henry gave him a grateful look as Regina grumbled in assent. Once they had gotten over, the raven-haired woman lifted the moat bridge back to its original position with a wave of her hand.

As they entered the village, Killian found the silence in the air odd. It was supposed to be full of people, but he couldn't see a single person within the vicinity. "Bloody hell?" he murmured quietly.

"Quiet," hissed Regina, sticking her hand out to stop them. "Do you hear that?"

Killian strained his ears and heard the faint sound of voices, coming from deeper into the small village. He pushed Regina's hand out of the way and ran forward, his feet leading him to the source. Something more than the voices pushed him forward. He would find something about Emma—he knew it. He could feel it in the air.

He screeched to a stop as he reached the centre of the town. It seemed as if all of its residents were gathered there, murmuring quietly among themselves and staring at something—or someone—situated at the front. Killian stretched his neck as far as it would go to see beyond the heads of the crowd, but to no avail.

He skirted around the group of people and heard someone talking quietly near the front. As he got closer, he noticed a familiar head of blonde hair.

"Emma?" he asked in disbelief, shock and happiness swelling inside of him. She was here! His Swan was really here!

She turned her head to face him and astonishment took over her features. "Killian?" she asked, her face now a mask of joy. Her face was sallow and it seemed as if she had lost some of brightness in her eyes, but other than that, she was the same Emma.

Before he could say anything else, she was hugging him, her warm body pressed up close against him. "You came!" she breathed into his shoulder.

"Of course I did," he murmured, stroking the long blonde hair he had missed so much.

"Mom!"

Emma broke the hug with Killian and turned to see her son rushing towards them, along with the rest of the Charming family and Robin and Regina. The lad was smiling so brightly, Killian couldn't help but smile too.

Emma rushed to hug her son, arms out. Killian's smile faded slightly as she stopped before she could reach him and backed away slightly, her expression morphing into one of fear and determination.

"Emma, love? What's wrong?" he asked her, approaching her tentatively. Henry had stopped now too, staring at his mother, a quizzical expression on his face. Regina came closer and laid a hand on Henry's shoulder, her face grim.

"I-I'm sorry," whispered the blonde saviour. "Don't come near me."

Killian attempted to move closer. "Emma—"

"I said," she hissed, her voice dangerously menacing, "don't come near me!"

"Emma, please—" he said, taking another step forward, hands out.

"STOP!" she screamed, her hands out, pulsating with a dark sort of energy.

"Hook!" warned Regina. "Don't go near her." Henry was staring at his biological mother, confusion clouding his eyes. Robin was standing protectively in front of both of them.

Killian shook his head at the former Evil Queen. "It's okay, I can help her," he said softly.

"Hook," cautioned David, holding on tight to Mary Margaret. "Her eyes..."

Killian looked back toward his Emma to see her eyes glowing with a dark power, blackness completely filling them until they were devoid of light.

"Witch!" someone in the crowd of watching villagers shrieked.

Emma whipped her head around to face the now fearful crowd of people. The redheaded boy closest to Emma tried to run, but she blasted him back with a stream of dark magic. Screams filled the air as the frantic people tried to run, only to be shot down by bursts of black light.

"STOP IT, EMMA!" yelled Mary Margaret, attempting to approach her daughter, only to be blasted back too. She landed with a thump on the ground, clutching a fresh wound on her shoulder.

"Snow!" shouted David, rushing toward his wife.

Killian's eyes roved around the clearing. Emma was hurting people and he couldn't do anything. The darkness was getting to her. "Swan!" he yelled. "Stop this now! You're hurting them!" His voice held a tinge of desperation. He couldn't let Emma hurt these innocent people, but he couldn't hurt her either.

Emma turned to face him, her eyes brimming with darkness. "They deserve—" she faltered midway, some of the light returning to her eyes. She shook her head and stared at Killian in horror, dropping to her knees. "Oh my god," she breathed, covering her mouth with her hands, "what have I done?" Tears filled her eyes as she gazed at the destruction and carnage she had caused.

"Emma, it's alright," he said, trying to touch her.

"No, Hook, it isn't alright," she whispered, her voice shaky. "Nothing's alright. Look at what I did!" Her voice was rising, as was her panic. Killian felt helpless as his attempts to calm her down went in vain.

He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she instantly stumbled upon herself trying to back away. "I have to go," she murmured, backing away slowly. "Please don't come after me. It's not safe." Her voice was so desperate—so pleading—Killian's heart broke.

She shouldn't have to face this alone. He should be facing it with her. He should be protecting her. "Emma—"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, interrupting him. "I have to go."

He was about to reply, but Regina beat him to it. "Wait, Emma," she said commandingly, her hand now immersed in the opening of the leather satchel swung over her shoulder.

Killian expected Emma to shake her head, but to his surprise, she stopped where she was. She turned to stare at Regina, new anger burning in her eyes. It was so fierce, Killian felt himself take a step back.

"Give it to me," snarled Emma aggressively, enunciating each word clearly, not bothering to veil the anger in her voice. She stalked towards Robin, Regina, and her son; eyes trained on the satchel Regina currently had her hand in.

Regina pushed Henry and Robin behind her and moved forward to level her gaze with that of the blonde woman in front of her. She pulled her hand out of her bag, bringing something metallic along with it. Killian gasped when his mind registered the fact that Regina was now holding the Dark One's dagger.

Emma's eyes flared with anger and she lunged at the other woman, attempting to grab the weapon from her hands. Killian could only stand there in shock as Regina pulled back and hissed a command into the dagger, forcing Emma to stay still. She stood rooted to the spot, yet he could tell that she wanted to attack Regina with every fibre of her being.

Killian couldn't believe it himself. Regina had had the dagger the entire time they had been in Camelot. She could have summoned Emma, yet she chose to leave them all in the dark! Anger boiled up inside of him, most of directed towards the Evil Queen, who was now speaking commands into the dagger.

"Stay still. You are not permitted to take the dagger from me and you may _not_ hurt any one of us," snapped Regina. Killian thought he saw a hint of remorse in her eyes but that did not do anything to lessen his anger.

"Regina, stop this!" he shouted. He couldn't stand seeing his Swan be controlled like this.

The raven-haired woman ignored him, staring straight ahead at Emma. "You will come back with us to Storybrooke without resistance," she continued.

Emma was visibly shaking now. Killian noticed her eyes glazing over, unshed tears gathering in her eyes.

"Mom!" shouted Henry, beating him to it. "Stop it! You're hurting her!" Emma's lad rushed up to his adoptive mother and grabbed the dagger from her fist.

"Henry!" scolded Regina, her eyes flaring in shock and anger. "What do you think you're doing?"

Killian rushed over to Emma and caught her as she collapsed, trembling harder than ever. "Mom?" asked Henry quietly, worry clouding his eyes. The boy took a step forward, gripping the dagger tightly while a helpless Regina looked on.

Mary Margaret and David had already joined the group and he watched as they pushed past Robin and Regina to get to their daughter. "Emma!" shouted the Mary Margaret. The brunette knelt down, seeming not to care about her bleeding head injury, and desperately tried to comfort her shaking daughter.

"NO!" screamed Emma suddenly, a wave of magic bursting from her hands. It blasted Killian and all the rest near Emma back and he landed with a painful thud a few metres away from her. He heard the dagger clatter onto the ground near Henry and half-expected Emma to make a run for it.

He was proven wrong as he lifted his head and saw Emma kneeling on the ground in the centre of the small village, completely alone and clutching her head. "No..." she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. "No..."

"Mom...?" whispered Henry tentatively, scrambling to his feet and completely ignoring the dagger that lay forgotten on the ground. He made his way carefully towards his mother, Killian close behind. It broke his heart to see Emma like this. She was so _vulnerable._

"Henry," began Regina, "don't—"

"GET OUT!" screamed Emma abruptly. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was gripping her head, her nails digging into her scalp. She seemed to be in some kind of pain, hot tears streaming down her face.

Killian needed to do something, _anything._ But he couldn't. Some kind of magical force field prevented him from nearing Emma. He was useless to help her once again. Henry was already banging on the invisible barrier and he followed suit, but he knew it was no use. He needed to come up with a plan.

"Emma! Emma, love, please!" he shouted in an attempt to get through to her. It was to no avail however, because she threw her hands out and the barrier shattered. Killian threw himself in front of Henry to save him from the wicked shards exploding outwards. He felt something sharp lodge itself in his lower stomach and he crumpled to the ground, gripping his injury. Something wet leaked through his fingers and black spots began to float at the corner of his vision.

"Killian...?" whimpered Emma standing up, hands over her mouth. A flash of guilt appeared in her eyes, and then it was gone, replaced with solid determination. She looked him in the eye once, silently begging for forgiveness, and then she was gone, vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"Emma..." he said softly, wanting, _wishing_ for her to come back. She couldn't be gone again.

He sensed others gathering around him, shaking him frantically, but his vision was getting blurry. All he saw were shapes and mixed colours and he felt a sharp pang of pain in his lower stomach region. The pain grew until he couldn't stand it anymore and he screamed, sweat pouring in rivulets down his face.

He heard a small gasp from someone beside him and lifted his head wearily, a faint buzzing filling his ears. He glimpsed a sallow-faced man approach them and lift something shiny off the ground, a wicked grin deforming his features. The man cackled and Killian clearly saw the Dark One's dagger gripped in his hand.

"The _Dark One_ shall dread the moment she decided to make an enemy of me," he sneered. "I shall be king once more—the land shall forever remember the name of Mordred!"

And that was last thing Killian heard before the world went black.

* * *

 **Oooh...what will happen next? Reviews give me life! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N. Congratulations Oncers! We've weathered the first week of the hiatus! Thank you so much to all my reviewers and Alpha19 and Beans827 especially for reviewing every chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these wonderful characters—that right goes to Adam and Eddy** **now on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

 **HENRY POV**

* * *

Henry watched as his mother vanished in a cloud of black smoke, giving no hint to her destination. She was gone. _Again_. He wanted to help her so bad, but he couldn't. He felt so helpless—so useless.

Henry turned his attention back to the pirate beside him and noticed with overwhelming clarity that he was on the ground, clutching a bleeding wound on his stomach. Henry's eyes flared wide in panic as he called the rest over frantically. He remembered Killian pushing him back when the magical barrier had exploded, and had just assumed the pirate was okay. He was too focused on Emma to pay any attention to the man beside him.

"You can save him, right?" asked Henry as Regina approached him. A slight feeling of guilt was growing in the pit of his stomach. Killian had pushed him out of the way when the barrier had exploded outwards. He had saved Henry and now he was hurt because of it.

"The injury isn't fatal," said Regina as she inspected Killian's grievance. "I can heal it, given a few minutes." He could see the leather-clad man blearily blinking his eyes, oblivious to the world around him.

Henry's mother laid her hand against the pirate's belly and it began to glow softly with a white light. Killian screamed suddenly in pain. Henry frantically attempted to keep him calm during the healing process, but to no avail. Sweat was pouring down the older man's face and Henry was so focused on keeping him calm, he almost didn't hear the footsteps approach them from behind.

Henry turned around briefly and gasped when he saw a man standing over the dagger he had forgotten on the ground, smiling down at them with crooked, yellow teeth. Before any of them could react, the man had lifted the dagger, gripping it tightly in his gnarled hands.

He cackled loudly. His laugh grated against Henry's ears—it was a harsh, screeching noise. "The _Dark One_ shall dread the moment she decided to make an enemy of me," he snarled. "I shall be king once more—the land shall forever remember the name of Mordred!"

The sky abruptly became dark and overcast, rumbling with thunder. The air was moist and Henry could feel a storm coming on. That name. _Mordred._ He recognized it from somewhere.

"Give the dagger back!" Henry heard his grandfather shout. All of the adults were now standing, glaring at the man in anger, with the exception of Killian who was now laying unconscious on the hard dirt beneath them.

"Oh, I don't think so," jeered Mordred, dangling the weapon in front of them like it was a toy. "In fact, I think I'll go now."

Mordred snapped his fingers and was gone the next moment, a fireball thrown by his adoptive mother just barely missing the man as he disappeared. "This is bad," hissed his mom, casting a grave glance at the two Charmings and Robin. "This Mordred, whoever he is, has the dagger now. And it seems like the new Emma has already managed to get on his bad side."

"What are we going to do?" fretted his grandmother, Mary Margaret. "He can control Emma now with the dagger. Who knows what he'll make her do?" Her eyebrows were furrowed and worry lines creased her face.

"I don't know," sighed Regina, "but we can start by waking the pirate here," she said, jerking her head toward the unconscious man lying on the ground. "I've mostly healed him. His body just needs a little time to recuperate."

"So he'll be okay?" asked Henry, relief flooding through his body.

Regina nodded at him in confirmation and turned her attention back to the comatose pirate. She waved her hand over his face and his eyes shot open. They were bloodshot and red and his hands were trembling. Killian took deep breaths, sucking in air like his life depended on it.

"Emma!" he gasped, leaping to his feet, although it looked like the action caused him great pain.

"She's gone," said Regina plainly.

"The-the man," spluttered Killian, "I-I saw him! He had the dagger!" Henry knew that the pirate's reaction would be far from happy when he learned that Mordred had vanished with the Dark One's dagger.

He was proven correct as Regina explained the events of the past few minutes to Killian. The one-handed man's expression was unreadable. "We have to find her!" he said quietly.

"And we will," said David softly, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. Henry smiled as he saw his entire family united in a single cause. He liked when his family worked together—no matter how bad the actual cause was.

"We need a plan," said Henry urgently, speaking up to get the attention of the rest of the crowd. They looked down at him, deep in thought. "Even if we do find Emma, Mordred still has the dagger. And you saw her when she was just here—she couldn't control herself. We need to get the darkness out of her somehow."

"And how do you propose we do that, Henry?" asked Regina dryly. "It's harder than it sounds."

Henry sighed, mind racing. "The book!" he said suddenly. "If we get my mom's blood, then I can use it as ink and write the darkness out of her!"

"Will that even work?" asked his adoptive mother skeptically. "I mean, if there was a way to write the darkness out of her, then Rumpelstiltskin would have done it with himself, wouldn't he? And besides, we don't have the book, or the pen."

"The boy could at least write something that could help us," murmured Robin, stroking his chin. "Getting Emma's blood and using it to write something in the book would be better than nothing."

"There's still the fact that we _don't have_ the book or the pen!" snapped Regina, her temper getting the best of her.

Henry smiled at this part. "Or maybe we do," he said, holding his hand out in front of him. There was a pop and the book appeared in his hand, along with the two broken halves of the pen.

Regina seemed to be at a loss for words, along with the rest of them. "How in the seven hells...?" muttered Killian in shock.

Henry grinned again. "When we came back from that alternate reality, some of your blood was still on the pen," he said, directing his answer at his adoptive mother. "I used it to write one more thing before breaking the pen. That I could summon the book and pen whenever I wished it, because well," he shrugged, "a lot of stuff seems to happen in Storybrooke and you never know when I might need it."

He had indeed done the very thing he said as soon as he had known everyone was alive and well. Having the book with him at all times might help them sometime in the future—and it did.

His mom smiled and surprised Henry by hugging him tightly. "You are such an amazing, clever boy," she said softly, caught up in one of her rare bouts of affection.

Henry held out the two halves of the broken pen.

"Can you fix it?" he asked quietly, not daring to think what would happen if she couldn't.

Regina hesitated. "I could try."

His mother closed her eyes and waved her hand over the pen, gritting her teeth. A slight glow arose from the pen within his palm and when his face broke out into a grin when he saw the now whole utensil sitting in his palm. Regina gently took the book and pen from him and slipped it into the satchel at her side.

"Mordred and Emma will probably be close to each other, since he has the dagger," murmured Killian. "He may have summoned her already."

"So to find Emma, we need to find Mordred. That way we can get both Emma's blood and the dagger," said Henry eagerly.

Regina nodded and placed a hand on Henry's shoulder. She looked him in the eye and smiled. "Let's go find your mother."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma blinked back tears as she appeared in the forest. She didn't know where she was, really. She had just willed herself to be gone from that place and here she was, in some unknown forest in the middle of nowhere.

They had all come to Camelot to find her. Mom, Dad, Regina, Robin, Henry, Hook... _Hook_. She had hurt him. She remembered the shield around her shattering and Killian jumping in front of her son. Emma remembered seeing the gushing wound in his stomach and the pain in his eyes. She had _snapped_. What had happened to her? She had hurt Killian! Emma didn't know if he was alive, or if he was...no, she couldn't think like that. Killian couldn't be dead because of her. Regina would have healed him.

And if Hook hadn't saved her son? She would have hurt _Henry._ She would never forgive herself if she had mortally injured her own son. They would come after her—she knew it. But Emma couldn't let them. She would just hurt them. The darkness inside of her was slowly eating away at her. Soon, she would just be a shell of her former self.

Emma shuddered. _You can never go back_ , hissed the voice she had grown to dread so much. _You know that as well as anyone. If you ever see them again, you will hurt them. They fear you, Emma. You hurt the one you love. Didn't you see the betrayal in his eyes? The hurt?_

"Shut up," hissed Emma, but a part of her agreed with the voice. What if it was telling the truth? What if they were scared of her? What if _Killian_ was scared of her? What if he never wanted to see her again?

 _They all hate you!_

They didn't hate her, did they? She knew her darkness had hurt them, but they didn't hate her. Did they? That settled it. Emma needed to find Merlin. She needed to get the darkness out of her so she could go back to her family.

 _What if Merlin doesn't agree to help you?_

Then she would _make_ him agree. She would hurt him if that were what it would take.

Emma's eyes widened. Did she just think of torturing the Sorcerer? No, she would ask him nicely and if he refused, she would figure out some other way. She wouldn't _hurt_ him.

Would she?

Emma nearly laughed. She was fighting with herself, and she could tell which side was winning. And what was so laughable about it was that she didn't mind that the dark side was prevailing. She _enjoyed_ the darkness within her.

No she didn't. She _hated_ it. What was she talking about?

Emma liked the feeling of power. She liked authority and supremacy it gave her. She liked seeing people cringe in fear when they saw her.

No, that was wrong! She didn't like any of that.

Emma felt a sudden tug in her gut. Something was willing, _compelling_ her to come to them. She couldn't resist the tug. It felt like she was on the end of a fishing line and someone was reeling her in. The dagger. _Regina._ Emma scowled. The Evil Queen would rue the day she was born.

Having no choice, Emma disappeared in a puff of black smoke, her mind bringing her to wherever the holder of the dagger decreed it. Anger pulsed in her veins, as she appeared in what seemed to be a large cavern underground. This was a strange place for Regina and the others to be camping out.

"Hello, _Dark One_ ," sneered a voice. This wasn't Regina. This was someone else.

Emma whipped around, eyes narrowed. No one was there. She was staring at a blank wall. "Behind you," hissed the voice tauntingly.

She turned around carefully, wishing she had a weapon on her. Unfortunately, whoever held the dagger was in complete control. "Show yourself!" she shouted, swivelling and turning to catch a glimpse of the elusive man.

"I'm right here, _Emma Swan_ ," jeered the bodiless voice. She recognized the voice from somewhere; she just couldn't place where she had heard it. Emma shivered at the way he had said her name. He had said it with such _venom_ that Emma almost felt afraid. Almost.

"Come out!" she hissed. "Or are you too afraid to show yourself?"

The man laughed finally coming into the light. She gasped in recognition at his twisted features. It was Mordred, the man she had nearly killed. "So, you're the new Dark One?" he asked snidely. "You managed to kill Rumpelstiltskin?"

"I didn't _kill_ Rumpelstiltskin," she snapped. Anger rose within her. How dare he speak to her that way?

"Really?" asked Mordred, amusement showing clearly on his face. "Then how did you..." he shook his head, "no matter. What matters _now_ is that you are in my control."

Emma growled as he pulled the dagger from within his cloak. She felt such a _need_ for the weapon, but she knew she had no control over her actions. It was driving her insane. "What are you going to make me do?" she snapped, annoyed.

"Oh, Emma," he sighed, moving closer. She didn't like the way her name sounded on his lips, but she was helpless to move as he approached her. His gnarled finger came out to stroke her cheek and she growled at him, wanting to rip his finger clean off with her teeth. "You have such _power_ ," he continued. "I can sense it within you. You had great magic even before you became the Dark One, didn't you?"

She could only scowl.

"Well, then," smirked Mordred, backing away from her slightly. "On to business!" He clapped his hands together like he was some excited schoolboy. "I really don't know _what_ I'm going to do with you," he said frowning, "but trust me, I _will_ hurt you."

Emma stood rooted to the spot, unable to speak or even twitch. Mordred sighed softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Emma," he said softly, snapping his fingers.

In an instant, Emma was deposited in a cell, chained to the wall with heavy metal restraints. They chafed at her wrists and her entire body felt like lead. Mordred was nowhere to be seen and she could only guess that she was in a dungeon of some sort. The cell was dark and dank, and she knew she would never escape if Mordred held the dagger.

Emma knew her family would come for her, no matter what.

But she hoped to God they wouldn't find her.

* * *

 **Like it? Hate it? Also, reviews don't hurt *** **wink wink** *****


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N. Okay, so I just saw that if everything goes according to the previous years, then the Season 5 premier will come out on September 27. September 27! That's 131 days from now! That's almost four and a half months! :( :( :(**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned OUAT then I would know everything that will happen and I wouldn't have to wait FREAKING 131 DAYS for the season 5 premiere :(**

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

Killian was upset. His Swan was somewhere out there, most likely being forced to work for some bloody magician. If that man did anything to hurt Emma, he swore that he would kill him.

"Killian," said Henry urgently, snapping him out of his thought. "We've found a way to find my Mom."

"What's that, lad?" he asked, staring at Henry in shock, not believing what he was hearing. They had spent fruitless hours searching for a lead and Henry had nearly fallen asleep. The poor boy hadn't gotten a wink of slumber since they had come several hours ago. Come to think of it, none of them had gotten any sleep. But couldn't rest now, not when Emma was out there somewhere.

"My mom—Regina—she found someone who thinks he knows where Mordred is."

"Well then," he said, clapping the lad on the back, "what are we waiting for? Where is this man?"

"Woman," corrected Henry. "Mom has her waiting for us in her house. Come on!"

He followed the boy, wasting no time. After Regina had woken him up and Henry had wished the book out of thin air, they had decided to question the villagers of Mordred's whereabouts. They hadn't found anything—up until now. The townsfolk were pleasantly oblivious, not knowing much about their former king except for the fact that he was a rather ruthless ruler and didn't tolerate a toe out of line. Apparently he had put a poor bloke to death for simply insulting one of his guards.

Henry led Killian to a small cottage near the edge of the town. David, Mary-Margaret, Robin, and Regina were there already. They were huddled in the middle of the room, whispering to one another. A small woman was sitting in a rickety, wooden chair behind them, her face nervous.

Killian couldn't help but notice the woman's frame hanging off her body and her dull eyes. The house wasn't much better for wear. There were holes in the floor, placed at random throughout the wooden ground and cobwebs were gathered in the corners. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor woman who now looked frightened out of mind at the four adults situated in front of her.

As he neared, he saw that the woman was cradling a small baby in her arms. The baby looked as if it was near death, a sickly pale yellow colour. "Regina," he started quietly, "look at her, she's _starving_ ,"

Regina met his, her gaze sympathetic. "I know, but we need answers first. Now that Mordred's gone, things here will undoubtedly get better." His mind was still not at ease, and the former Evil Queen seemed to notice. "Don't worry," she reassured him, "I've sent some men to the castle to see if they can find food or at least something to help these people. I'm sure Mordred kept a healthy stash of loot in his castle."

He nodded and turned back to the woman, along with Regina. "So you think you know where Mordred is?" Snow asked her softly.

The woman—Regina had notified him that her name was Eva—nodded, some of her fear gone. "Y-yes," she muttered, "but he would _kill_ me if I told anyone. He would kill my baby!" She was halfway to hysterics now.

"It's okay," soothed the brunette. Killian could see where the stories of Snow White's kindness came from. Right now, she was just what the frightened woman needed. "I have a little baby boy too, you know," continued Snow.

"Y-you do?" stuttered Eva in surprise.

"Yes, but he's not with me right now, as much as I want to be with him. I'm here looking for my daughter and if you tell me where you think Mordred is, then I can find her! I can go back to my little boy and we can be a family again."

Snow's eyes were filled with such determination, such _love_ that Killian felt a newfound respect for her. The woman would do anything to find her daughter. It was the Charming family rule after all—they would always find each other. And if they found Emma— _when_ they found Emma, maybe he would be part of their family too.

Eva was smiling slightly now, comforted by Snow. "O-ok," she said quietly, "I'll tell you where Mordred is."

Killian leaned closer, determined to catch every single word so he could find Emma. If Mordred had harmed her...

"It-it was a few months ago," began the skinny woman. "I was nine months pregnant and grieving—my husband had just been killed by Mordred. You see, my husband didn't agree with his rule and decided to speak out and..." Sobs suddenly wracked the woman's body and she clutched the baby to her chest even tighter.

Killian saw Regina shoot a sympathetic glance at the woman, sadness in her eyes. "Then what happened?" urged David softly.

Her sobs subsided enough for her to continue speaking. "I was at his grave, a little ways from here. It began raining hard and I n-noticed a cave nearby. I had to keep well—for the baby—so I sought shelter in the cave." Killian noticed the woman's eyes were suddenly alight with fear. Evidently, Snow observed this as well, for she laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, silently urging her to continue.

"I heard n-noises coming from d-deep within the cave. I kn-know I shouldn't have in my condition, but I was curious, so I walked deeper into the tunnel." She shuddered slightly, gently rocking her child back and forth. "In there, I saw Mordred, our very own king, performing some sort of _witchcraft_ on a dead body. And when I came closer I realized it-it was my husband's." Another small sob escaped her and Mary Margaret squeezed her shoulder.

"It-it was terrible! I ran away as quickly as I could—I knew if he caught me there, he would kill me. Ever s-since then, I've seen Mordred sneaking out of the palace. He's been going to the cave—I-I know it!"

"So you think he's at the cave," murmured Regina, deep in thought.

Eva nodded, filled with a new vigour. "I'm sure of it!" she exclaimed. "It's where he always went and where he would go if there was a threat to his position. He's a dirty coward at heart," she snarled.

"Can you give us directions to the cave?" asked Killian immediately. The woman had said it wasn't too far from here. That was good. It meant he would find Emma soon.

The woman nodded, speaking with Regina about how to reach the place she had described in her tale. Once she had finished with the directions, Eva spoke up again, looking straight at him. "I suggest you sleep the night before going after this Emma."

"That's out of the question!" he snarled. He wouldn't waste a moment sleeping when he could be searching for Emma.

"You're not going to be much use when you're dead on your feet, are you?" asked the woman dryly, staring especially at Henry, whose seemed tired but was adamantly keeping himself awake.

"She's right," muttered Regina. "We've been here for nearly two days and haven't gotten a wink of sleep. We need to be at full strength if we're going to confront Mordred."

"I _am_ at full strength!" insisted Killian. "The faster we get moving, the faster we find Emma!"

"And we won't be moving very fast if we don't sleep," Regina shot back. She kept casting glances at Henry, who looked as if he were about to topple over any moment.

"You're welcome to sleep here," offered their new acquaintance, "I haven't got an extra bedroom, but you can sleep on the floor. You can leave at daybreak tomorrow morning."

"But that's hours from now!" he argued. "Who knows what he might've done with Emma by then? The man is bloody mad!"

Mary Margaret laid a hand on Killian's shoulder. "Emma will be fine," she whispered. "She's a tough girl. We have to help her, though, Hook, and we won't be any help if we don't get proper rest." Killian cast a disbelieving glance at the pixie-haired brunette. Now the whole bloody family was siding against him!

"But Emma..." he whispered softly, at a loss for words.

"Will be fine," confirmed David. "We'll find her Hook, I promise. We'll leave right at sunrise. Besides," he said, glancing down at Killian's stomach. "You need rest. Your wound hasn't fully healed yet and you won't be much help to us if you fall over and die."

"Way to put it bluntly, mate," he grunted.

As if on cue, he felt a sharp pain in his lower stomach region and sighed. He knew the others were right, but that didn't make it any less difficult. Sleeping was like they were putting Emma on hold. And he didn't want to put Emma on hold for anything.

"Sleep or I'll force you to," snapped Regina quite suddenly.

No. He couldn't sleep. Emma was out there. He needed to find her. The world was becoming blurry and Killian staggered, gripping the woman's chair for support. He heard a sigh and a snap of fingers and everything went black.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Killian eyes fluttered open and he instantly scrambled to his feet. Where was he...? This wasn't the woman's house. This was someplace else. Maybe he was dreaming? Killian turned around and evaluated his surroundings. He appeared to be in a dungeon of some sort. Cells lined the walls and faintly burning torches lit a narrow path. He tried grabbing one of the wall sconces, but his hand simply passed right through it. It was like he was a ghost of some sort—from the old pirate tales of the Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones.

He moved through the twisted passageways searching for something. He didn't know what he was searching for, but he knew it was important. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't important.

Killian glanced in the various cells but they all seemed to be empty, cobwebs hanging in the corners as if they hadn't been habited for a very long time. Here and there he spotted skeletons, still chained to the walls, as if they would try to escape if they weren't restrained. He shuddered. They had been here so long they had rotted and died.

As Killian ambled through the dark corridors he heard a sound—a whimpering to be precise. It was coming from one of the cells. "Hello?" he asked softly. "Is anyone there?" He knew he couldn't touch anything here—his hand passed through everything as if he were a spirit—but perhaps he could speak.

"Hook!" called a soft voice. "Killian!"

He recognized that voice. He could recognize it anywhere. Emma! His Swan was here! He rushed towards the source, frantic to find her. "Emma!" he shouted. "Emma?"

"Quiet!" hissed her voice again. "He'll hear you!"

This time he was able to pinpoint the location of the voice. It was coming from a few cells down. He ran towards it, passing straight through the bars of the cell, his eyes coming to rest upon his love.

God, she looked _terrible._ Bags hung under her eyes and her face was pale and haunted. Her eyes were red and bloodshot as if she hadn't slept for a very long time. She was tied and chained to the wall of the dungeon and he noticed with anger that her wrists were red and raw. He could see her ribs! He would _kill_ Mordred the next time he saw him.

"Emma?" he asked softly. "Emma?"

She lifted her head and a grin broke out on her face. "Killian!" she exclaimed. Her tone quietened significantly as she continued to speak. "I knew it would work!"

"Knew what would work, love?" he murmured, desperately trying to touch her but to no avail. His hand passed right through her features and he shuddered. He wanted to hold her so bad. He wanted to comfort her, to soothe her.

"My magic," she hissed excitedly, "I wished for you to come here. Not really come here, of course, but for an apparition of you to travel here in the dream world!"

"Are you sleeping too?" he asked curiously. He was thoroughly confused—how could that even work? It seemed like one of those new world 'technologies' Emma had introduced him to—like the talking phone.

Emma shook her head woefully. "I-I can't," she muttered, her voice breaking slightly. "But you're here, well, sort of here, and that's all that matters."

Killian felt anger boil up inside of him, enveloping his entire being. How dare that man imprison his love? He would pay for his atrocities. "I need to go back!" he exclaimed suddenly, filled with a new vigour. "I need to wake up the others so we can come here and break you out!"

Emma's eyes widened and her face showed some kind of emotion he could place—fear maybe? But why would she be scared? They were going to come and save her!

"No, no you can't," she hissed hastily. "You can't come here."

"And why not, Swan?" he asked angrily. "You can't stop us. We will—I will get you out of here."

She shook her head again; her faded blonde hair swinging to and fro. "No! Killian, I can't hurt you again! You might have died!" The panic showing in her eyes was all too noticeable.

"It was an accident, love," he soothed. He couldn't let her believe that any of it was her fault. "We are coming for you, no matter what."

"No, you are not!" she hissed, her eyes black with anger. He could feel the power radiating off of her. "The only reason I called you here in the first place was so that you could tell the rest of them to stop looking for me! Mordred has the dagger, Killian! He won't hesitate to control me—make me hurt one of you! You'll see. You'll hate me!"

Her face was a swirl of panic and fear and anger and Killian wanted more than anything to stop her from thinking like that. She couldn't believe that hurting any of them was her fault. He knew it was the darkness inside of her that was making her behave this way.

"For the last time, Swan!" he shouted. "I don't _care_ if you hurt me! I don't _care_ if he's controlling you! I am coming for you, no matter what, you understand?" he hissed. "Your family _loves_ you! They _do not hate_ you! And you know what? You're bloody daft if you think we feel anything toward you but love! You have to stop pushing us away, Emma! Let us help you! Because, trust me, _none_ of us will stop until you are with us again and _none_ of us will ever, ever hate you!"

Killian finished, breathing hard, and not taking his eyes off the woman in front of him. Emma seemed to be shocked, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. The woman needed to understand she was important. They wouldn't let her live her days alone, in pain.

"I have to say," smirked a voice, "that was a rather _inspiring_ speech."

Killian whipped around to see none other than the man he most wanted to suffer smiling wickedly down at them. Mordred.

* * *

 **Ok, so this chapter is a little longer than usual but I hope you liked it :P**

 **Some CS moments in there... next chapter you'll see some of Emma's POV**

 **Reviews make me happy! Don't you want me to be happy...?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N. Hello you beautiful people! Thank you for all your support!**

 **Disclaimer: OUAT is not mine unfortunately :(**

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

"Mordred," scowled Emma, wanting nothing more than to destroy the man in front of her. Killian looked on, anger evident on his features, clearly wanting to hurt the magician.

"I have to say, Emma," laughed Mordred, raising an eyebrow, "even I didn't expect your powers to stretch this far! I'll have more use of you than I expected!"

"You won't touch her!" snarled Killian, rushing forward to try and attack Mordred. Of course, his hand passed right through the man and Emma sighed. She needed to get Hook out of here. She cursed herself for allowing the magician to see her talking to an apparition of Killian. He would know her weaknesses now, and he sure as hell would exploit them.

"Touchy, touchy," tutted Mordred. Killian's jaw was clenched and his eyes were aflame with anger.

Emma closed her eyes and concentrated. A few moments passed before she opened them again, but to her horror, Killian was still standing there, angrily gazing at Mordred. "Why can't I send him back?" she cried accusingly, directing her question at the magician.

"Because I won't let you," he said simply, pulling the dagger out of his cloak and brandishing it like some new plaything. Emma's anger grew as she saw him holding the weapon. He had no right to be controlling her like this. She swore, if she—no, _when_ she—had control of herself again, she would flay him alive. He would wish he were never born. She would make him feel such pain that he would _beg_ for death.

"You see," continued Mordred, "I _want_ him here. Your little boyfriend will stay for a little while longer, a harmless apparition. I _want_ him to witness every single moment of your descent into darkness. I _want_ him to see me hurt you and be able to do nothing about it."

Emma struggled against her bonds, her rage multiplying. She knew she could escape with her powers, but he wouldn't let her. He had the dagger, and was therefore controlling every move she made. "Don't bring him into this," she snarled, attempting to put as much venom into her voice as possible.

"The pirate's half the fun!" smirked Mordred, clapping his hands.

Hook scowled beside her. She needed to get him out of here somehow. Emma knew she couldn't do it because of her restrictions, but maybe Regina could? After all, Regina had been as, if not more, powerful as Emma was before the darkness entered her. She just had to send a message to the other woman.

 _Why ask her for help?_ The voice in her head was attacking again. _The Evil Queen. She was the reason, after all, that you had to live alone for the first twenty-eight years of your life. She cast the curse. She made your parents give you up. And even after all of this, you know that she wants your son for herself. Now you're going to beg her to return the pirate to his body because you can't?_

"I will not _beg_ ," snapped Emma suddenly, enraged. Both men in the room looked at her in surprise, obviously not expecting her little outburst.

"Beg for what, dear?" asked Mordred innocently. "Because begging me to return the pirate won't work." He smiled, showing his yellowing, crooked teeth. Emma almost cringed at the sight of his leer.

"I wasn't talking to you," she muttered.

Killian looked confused and Mordred raised an eyebrow, but Emma's fierce expression signalled it was the end of that conversation. The magician shrugged and stared at her straight in the eye.

Mordred's hand flicked out suddenly and a great wave of magic shot out of his outstretched palm, straight towards her. Emma saw Killian jump in front of her, but he seemed to have forgotten he was nothing but a ghost of his real self, for the magic passed right through him.

Nothing could have prepared her for the pain. It was harsh and blinding and she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in an attempt to lessen it. It was as if someone had set her veins on fire, burning her from the inside out. A scorching sensation spread through her, reaching into her soul and filling its depths with agony. All other thoughts flew from her mind as the pain consumed her and she let a scream escape her lips.

Yet, the flames in her body were nothing compared to the torment he inflicted on her mentality. Memory after memory flickered in her eye's mind, not waiting for her to process them before moving on to the next one. She saw everything.

 _She was three. Her foster parents were gazing at her, sadness enveloping their features. They were sending her away. No. Why did she have to go?_

 _Emma was staring defiantly at the drunken man in front of her, prepared to fight back. He was cruel—she had tried to tell the services, but they wouldn't listen. She had to get away from it all. The pain, the hurt, the hunger. So she ran, not once daring to look back._

 _He had left her. She should have known better. She had trusted Neal, and he had left her to rot in a jail cell. The pregnancy test was still in her shaking hands. A baby. She was going to have a baby! But a sharp pang of sadness in her heart reminded her of the inevitable. She couldn't keep it. The baby would be abandoned, just as she had been._

 _Graham was laying on the floor, dead, the ghost of a smile etched across his faded lips. Her first shot at love since he had left her and now it was gone. Emma didn't try to hold the sobs in. She embraced them as she wept over his body._

 _Her parents. She met her parents. They were alive; they had never wanted to give her up. But that didn't change the fact that they did give her up. The couple she had grown up hearing stories about had abandoned their own daughter. She laughed with them, talked with them, but on the inside, her world crumbled down around her._

 _Her son. Henry. He had found her—he had brought her the love she had craved for unknowingly. And now he was gone and she couldn't do a damn thing to stop him from being taken. She fell to the deck of the slowly swaying ship and let the hopelessness envelop her._

 _No. He couldn't be gone. Emma couldn't stop the broken sobs that escaped her when she watched his tombstone lower into the depths below. Neal. The one she had loved. The one she had hated. The one she had grown to understand. He had left her. Was everyone she loved doomed to die?_

 _Her parents had lied. The two people she thought she could trust had betrayed her completely. They had condemned an innocent baby to a life no one should have to live. The two people she had always thought were the epitome of goodness were really just like the rest of them._

 _She was a prisoner. Day after day passed, her hope waning with each sunrise. Nobody would come for her. The curse would remain—heroes turned villains and villains turned heroes. Her own parents sentenced her to a lifetime of solitude. Emma couldn't help but think—what if evil finally won?_

 _She choked on her own tears as the man she loved was killed. Killed by her own father. Killed saving her. She vaguely felt her son urging her to run, but she couldn't. Not when his unmoving body lay on the dirt. He was dead. Her pirate, her Killian was dead and she never got to tell him. She never got to tell him she loved him._

 _Emma felt the darkness encircle her, swathing her in its eerie light. She heard faint screams—_

"Emma! Snap out of it!"

 _It reached inside of her, pulling at her very soul. She could feel it blackening her heart._

"Please, Swan! It's me, Hook! Killian!"

 _The voices assaulted her mind, whispering too rapidly, too quickly for her to make out._

"Come back to me!"

 _She felt herself being pulled away, the dark tendrils taking her from her family. Her Killian._

"Emma!"

Emma's eyes snapped open, Killian's cerulean blue ones staring at her in panic and concern. She reached out to touch him, breathing heavily, only to be stopped by chains encircling her wrists. She could feel the tears threatening to escape. "Hook," she whispered softly. "Killian."

"Yes, love, it's me," murmured the pirate, attempting to stroke her cheek, but instead causing his hand to fall through her face. She smiled at him reassuringly as she saw the thinly veiled pain in his eyes.

"Oh, how touching," muttered Mordred dryly, observing the entire scene from the front of the cell.

Emma glared at him, along with Killian. He was the one who had caused her such pain. No one did that to _her._ No one did that to the Dark One. She wanted nothing more than to feel him choke, to strangle him to death with her bare hands.

"I'm afraid," continued the evil magician, "that it's time for me to go. And that means it's also time for the pirate to go!" He played with the dagger in his hands and a flash of white light appeared, blinding her momentarily. When she looked up, Killian was gone.

Half of her was overjoyed, half of her was upset. Killian comforted her—he helped her through this. But she knew she was being selfish. He was much more use in his actual body.

"Had fun?" asked Mordred nonchalantly. When she only glared at him, he smirked. "We should really do this again sometime!"

And then he was gone, vanished in a flash of dark light and Emma was left alone. She waited for the tears to come. But they never did.

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

They were all gathered around Eva's dinner table, formulating plans to get Emma back. That, and waiting for the pirate to wake up. Regina figured Hook would have been the first one to awaken, but she supposed it could be because of his injury. Still, she had never pegged Captain Hook as one for a beauty sleep.

It was nearly sunrise and David and her agreed that they should leave as soon as light's first rays touched the village. Regina sent Henry to wake up the leather-clad pirate, since he would most likely snap at anyone else.

She had barely finished speaking with Henry when the thoroughly disgruntled man shot out of his room. Hook's eyes were alight with panic and she could tell something was wrong. Henry was the first to voice all of their thoughts.

"What's wrong, Killian?" the boy asked, gazing at him with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Emma!" blurted the man, his eyes darting everywhere around the small room. Eva and the baby were still sleeping, so Regina hushed him crossly.

"What about Emma?" she asked irritably. "We were waiting for _you_ to wake up so we could go find her."

Hook's expression didn't change. "We need to leave. Now," he said adamantly, walking out the door and leaving the rest of them to look at each other in surprise.

"Hook! Stop!" shouted Regina, racing after him along with the others. He slowed slightly but didn't stop moving. By the time they had caught up to him they were all panting. David laid a hand on the pirate's shoulder and succeeded in causing him to halt. "Tell me what you saw," she told him commandingly.

Regina knew he had dreamed about Emma—all the tell-tale signs were right there on his face. She didn't know _what_ exactly he had dreamed about though.

Hook hesitated before speaking. "Emma summoned me through me dream," he explained, his voice wavering slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Regina impatiently.

"I d-don't know exactly how, but she did. It was like I was some bloody ghost—I couldn't touch or feel but I could talk and be seen."

"So you saw my mom!" exclaimed Henry. "Where is she? Is she in the cave Eva was talking about?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at this new information. She had never heard of this being done before, but Emma _was_ the Dark One. She could do things far beyond Regina's magical capabilities.

"Yes," continued Hook. "I saw her." His expression was so grave that Regina frowned. What could he have seen?

"And...?" she prompted him.

"She was in some sort of dungeon." The pirate shuddered. "Mordred, or whatever the bloody hell his name is, had control of her." He was suddenly shaking.

"There could be a dungeon beneath the cave from what we learned from the woman," mused Robin. "Mordred was there though, right?"

"Aye," Hook confirmed. His expression suddenly turned serious. "We need to get her out of there! Now!"

"And we will," said David reassuringly, smiling softly.

"You don't understand!" cried the pirate. "He was hurting her! And I couldn't do a damn thing to help her! I could only watch as he tortured her! She was screaming and I couldn't even touch her!"

Regina stepped back slightly in shock. She heard Henry whimper and she grabbed her son's hand and squeezed it. David and Mary Margaret seemed horrified as well and she could almost see the waves of sadness and anger emanating from them. Robin grasped her other hand tightly in a gesture of comfort and she let him hold her.

"No," said Mary Margaret suddenly, seemingly the first to recover. "We'll save her. We _have_ to." She gazed at the rest of them, a fire burning in her eyes. "Come on then! We aren't going to get anywhere if we stay here for the rest of the day!"

She whirled around on the balls of her feet and stomped forward, Hook and David rushing after her. Regina stood still for a few moments but was brought back to reality by the two warm presences on either side of her.

As they moved forward, she let a small smile grace her face. Family. It meant more than being related by blood or marriage. It meant the people who accepted you, no matter what, without hatred or judgement. People who provided unconditional love and support. People who stood by you in your darkest times.

Regina's smile widened. She had a family. And now she was going to make it whole again.

* * *

 **Hope you liked this chapter :) Read and Review! (although if you're reading this, I'm assuming you've already read it—so the only thing left to do is review!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** **In this chapter I decided to include both David and Mary Margaret's POVs. Every story needs a little Snow and Charming :) These two will not be regular POVs in this story—that's just Emma, Killian, Regina, and sometimes Henry.**

 **Disclaimer: As Captain Hook would say, "I don't own a bloody thing!"**

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

 **DAVID POV**

* * *

David growled in frustration as he stumbled over yet another tree root. His coordination seemed to be off lately—he couldn't think of much other than finding his daughter. He could sense his wife behind him, easily keeping up with the rest of them, despite her recent pregnancy.

The cave was only a short distance from here, according to Regina. It felt like they had been walking for hours, when he knew it had only been a few minutes. David's mind wandered to the previous day's events. He remembered the expression on his daughter's face and it chilled him right to the bone. She was so _scared_ and he couldn't do anything to comfort her because she kept pushing him away. She kept pushing them all away.

He remembered watching as Emma shot bursts of magic at the innocent villagers and he recalled with agonizing clarity her sobs as she realized what she had done. She had hurt Mary Margaret—Snow. She had hurt Hook. And it broke him when he saw the overwhelming guilt on her face—the pain and confliction. She didn't want to be near any of them for fear she would hurt them.

It reminded David eerily of the Snow Queen's short reign. Emma had lost control of her powers and accidentally hurt him. He knew it hadn't been her fault—he could see from the look on her face, she was just so lost and angry. But it didn't change the fact that she _had_ hurt him and David knew that that was all that really mattered to Emma.

He hated seeing his baby girl in such inner turmoil. When Hook had woken up and told them of what he had seen, David had felt rage like he had never known before—red-hot rage, searing into his mind and obliterating all other rational thoughts. No one hurt his daughter like that. He wouldn't let them. He would destroy the man—regardless of whether he had magical powers or not. The frustration inside of him grew as he walked, almost ran, forward.

Emma. She was just so damn _selfless_. He had just stood there, clutching his wife, as she sacrificed herself to the darkness. He should have done something! He should have run up to her and grabbed the dagger out of her hands. He should have sacrificed himself rather than let her suffer like this. He didn't want hurt to turn dark. Not at all. It was scary the past few days when he thought he might lose his daughter to the darkness, and he was relieved beyond belief when she forgave them. But David knew, he knew that if she did turn dark and there was no way to bring her back, he would keep loving her all the same. Nothing would change that.

"How much further?" growled Hook from in front of them, shaking David out of his reverie.

"An hour probably," muttered Regina angrily. "I don't know why anyone in their right mind would bury her husband this far from her home. And then walk all this way in her ninth month of pregnancy."

"Regina!" scolded Mary Margaret, glaring at the woman.

Regina shrugged nonchalantly. "What? I'm just saying." Snow's glare didn't lessen and the former Evil Queen sighed dramatically. "Okay, fine," she muttered. "I'm sorry for insulting you, woman who is currently at her home and cannot hear a thing I'm saying. There. I apologized. Happy?"

Mary Margaret sighed and Regina rolled her eyes, moving behind slightly to walk with her boyfriend and adoptive son.

David ran up to join Hook at the front of the group. The pirate was cutting through the underbrush like it was made of paper, a determined expression covering his face. His eyebrows were furrowed and his teeth were gritted, a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead.

"What is it, mate?" he grumbled, not slowing the slightest.

"Calm down, Hook," David whispered softly. "You're scaring away everything within a ten-mile vicinity."

At this, Hook halted completely and turned to face him, anger flashing in his eyes. "Calm down? How can you be so bloody calm when your daughter is locked up in a cell, a complete mad man controlling her every move?"

David felt some of the hidden rage he had felt earlier that morning rise up within him as the pirate glared at him one more time and continued moving forward. How could Hook think that he was calm? How was it even possible to be calm when your daughter was in such a situation?

"Do you honestly think I'm _calm_ right now?" he yelled after Hook incredulously.

The leather-clad man glowered at him again, but didn't slow his pace. If anything, he walked faster. David scowled in frustration and rushed after him. They were now a good distance away from the rest of the group, far enough that they could speak without being overheard.

"You sure look the part, mate," muttered Hook, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

"Hook!" shouted David. "Killian, stop!" It was the use of his real name that finally made him slow to a halt. The pirate sighed and looked at him, as if awaiting some sort of lecture.

"Look, Hook, Killian, whatever you want to be called," began David. Hook scowled at the last bit. "I don't know what goes on in that mind of yours, but get one thing straight. You are not the only one who loves Emma."

The man in front of him only frowned.

"I _know_ you love Emma, Hook. I know you'll do anything to get her back, but don't forget that you're not alone. We are all here for you, whether you like it or not."

They stood there in silence for a few moments. "Thanks," grunted Killian after a while.

"She'll be fine," he said firmly. David didn't want to think negatively. Thinking negatively meant hopelessness, and as he had learned from his wife, hopelessness was never good. "We'll find her. We'll find her and bring her back to us."

Hook let nodded firmly and kept walking.

David smiled. They were ready for anything. They would find Emma—always.

* * *

 **MARY MARGARET POV**

Snow White wanted her daughter back.

They had lost her. Then found her. Then lost her again. Then found her. Then lost her again. Would they find her? She had to believe they would.

Snow sighed. After being told of Emma's torment at the hands of Mordred, she couldn't stop feeling like this was all her fault. She should have kept an eye on the dagger—she shouldn't have let it fall into Mordred's hands. Hell, she shouldn't have let Emma become the Dark One in the first place. But she did. And now her poor baby girl was out there somewhere all alone, suffering.

"You okay?" murmured a voice from behind her. Snow looked back in surprise to see the one and only Regina staring at her in concern.

"Do you think I'm okay?" she murmured. "My daughter just absorbed all the darkness inside Rumpelstiltskin's heart and now she's being controlled by an evil magician."

"Good point," muttered Regina. "Look," she began, staring straight at Snow, "I'm sorry."

Snow stared back at her, completely bewildered at first, then anger filling her body. "You mean sorry for not telling us you had the dagger this entire time? Sorry for controlling my daughter? Sorry for the numerous other things you've done?"

"I _am_ sorry for that, but I had my reasons," said Regina nonchalantly. "But that wasn't what I was talking about."

"It wasn't?" asked Snow, completely caught off-guard.

"No," confirmed the other woman. "What I _did_ want to apologize for was letting your daughter sacrifice herself. For me."

"You feel guilty," said Snow, realization dawning on her features. "You're guilty because you think it's your fault Emma became the Dark One."

"I am _not_ feeling guilty," snapped Regina angrily, although Snow could see the real truth in her eyes. "I'm just saying, we could have avoided the whole thing if I had done something about it. Instead I just stood there like a fool." The bitterness in the former villain's tone was something Snow was not expecting. Honestly, she didn't expect Regina to care so much.

"You _are_ feeling guilty!" she exclaimed.

Regina scowled. "Maybe I am. So what?"

"Regina," began Snow, laying a hand on the woman's shoulder, "I think all of us here are equally at fault." She paused. "In fact, if you want to place the blame on anyone, place it on Emma. She's the one who chose to sacrifice herself. My ridiculously selfless girl."

"You're blaming your own daughter?" asked Regina incredulously.

"I'm not _blaming_ her," corrected Snow. "I'm only saying that none of us are at fault. Trust me, I'm blaming myself as well. And doing that won't get us anywhere if we are to save Emma."

They walked a few moments in silence before Regina spoke up again. "Snow?"

"Yes?"

"If Emma hadn't sacrificed herself. Say, if the darkness had taken me instead...would you all have come looking for _me_?"

At this, Snow stopped completely. "Regina," she began, dangerously quiet, "don't you ever think we would abandon you to a fate like that."

"But—"

"You may have done wrong in the past," she interrupted, "but you are still our friend _now_. Henry loves you. Robin loves you. Why _wouldn't_ we come looking for you?"

Regina shrugged uncomfortably and turned to face the other way, but Snow could tell that she was smiling slightly. The continued walking in silence, but Snow swore that she heard a quiet thanks escape Regina's lips. Of course, when asked, she denied having ever said such a thing.

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma hissed in pain as Mordred dug the dagger into the flesh of her neck, drawing blood. "I could kill you so easily," he crooned, digging it deeper into her throat. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. This was it. She was going to die here. "But I won't," the man said suddenly, withdrawing the dagger from her throat and wiping it of blood nonchalantly.

"Why not?" she asked hoarsely, glaring daggers at the magician. If looks could kill, she would have burned him to the ground several times over. Unfortunately, they can't.

"If I had the power of the Dark One, I could easily rule the country without bother," he mused to himself. "But no." He stared directly at her, his gaze burning into her skull. "Having the Dark One inside you tends to become a hindrance."

"And why's that?" she hissed scathingly. "You think you're too good for the Dark One? You think you're more powerful?"

 _He could never be as powerful. Your power stretches far beyond his ever will. Far beyond he could ever dream._

Mordred laughed, igniting flames of anger inside of her. "Oh no, my dear!" he chuckled. "The Dark One has a weakness. And I can't afford to have a weakness. So I won't kill you...for now."

"What weakness?" snapped Emma. "I could best you with a wave of my hand if..." She trailed off, realizing what Mordred was getting at.

"If I wasn't controlling you, hmm?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow. "This dagger is your weakness," he growled, leaning closer. "It's your limitation. Your fault. Your _flaw_."

"Shut up," she snarled, wishing with all her heart she could reach inside his chest, rip the beating organ out, and crush it to dust before his very eyes.

"No matter," he continued, indifferent to her raging eyes. "I don't need to be the Dark One. You know why?"

Emma kept glaring.

"Because I have _you_ ," he said, smiling. In the dim light his expression looked maniacal. "And you shall do wonders for me, _Emma_. The Sorcerer shall rue the day her crossed me."

"The Sorcerer?" she asked incredulously. "Merlin?"

"QUIET!" he shouted suddenly in a fit of rage. "His name must not be spoken while you are in my presence. Understand?"

Emma attempted to speak but she realized she couldn't. Anger burned within her as she realized he had commanded her to keep silent. _How dare he? He will be cruelly killed when you are free of the curse._

 _No._

 _Death is far too kind. You will make him beg for death. Make him get down on his knees because of a fate so terrible, no one would want to live a second longer._

"I'll take that as a yes," smirked Mordred. The magician suddenly pricked his ears and laughed, an insane glint in his eyes. "Guess what, Emma?"

She wanted to rip his throat out.

"Your family is here!"

A sudden horror filled her mind and body, replacing all other feelings. They couldn't be here. She had told Killian not to come. She had told him to leave her. But of course he wouldn't have listened! Emma's eyes widened as Mordred began to speak into the dagger.

"You can speak now," he said softly. She was about to bite his head off with a scathing remark, but was interrupted by him hissing more orders into the dreaded weapon.

"It's family reunion time, Emma!"

* * *

 **Yay Chapter 10! Please read and review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello! Here's Chapter 11! Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed. It adds a little bit of extra brightness to my life every time I see a comment :) It's nice to know there are people out there who like my writing!**

 **Disclaimer: *** **sigh** *** I don't own a thing.**

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

The cave stood tall before them, beckoning them to enter. Killian wanted more than anything to run in there without hesitation and break his love out. Regina stood next to him, her jaw clenched in concentration. She was scanning the small entrance, warily checking for any sort magical defenses.

"See anything?" he asked her. Killian couldn't stand still a moment longer. He had to get inside there—see if his Emma was even in there. He had to save her.

"No," she confirmed, "let's go."

They walked forward, determination covering all of their features. Mary Margaret lingered behind, uncertainty clouding her features. "What's wrong Grandma?" asked Henry, hesitating as much as Killian knew he would have liked to run forward with the rest.

"Wait!" shouted Snow, stopping them all in their tracks. "Stop!"

"What is it?" snapped Regina, irritation twisting her features into a scowl. He was annoyed too. Finding Emma was his top priority—he couldn't let anything get in the way.

"Someone's coming," hissed the pixie-haired woman, her ears tuned to the world around her. Since he'd known Mary Margaret, he'd known her hearing was exemplary—he could only guess it was from all her years spent as a bandit. She waved her hand, gesturing for them to move out of the way.

It was Henry's voice Hook heard first. "Mom!" shouted the boy, his voice a mixture of worry and elation.

Killian's eyes darted to the centre of the cave and he glimpsed a flash of blonde hair and fair skin. "Emma!" he shouted. He began approaching her slowly. He didn't heed Regina's warning shouts or Snow's yelling. Emma was staring at him with wide eyes, her slender frame trembling violently.

"Hook," she whispered, her voice soft and broken _._ She looked to be in tremendous conflict, tears glittering at the corners of her eyes. As he got closer, Killian realized she seemed slightly different. Her skin was paler, her lips were faded, and her _eyes_ —her eyes were pure black, deep and hollow.

Killian faltered slightly but didn't stop walking.. He heard a faint shout of 'no' and then slammed into an invisible wall. He fell to the ground, rubbing his head and looking up. A thin barrier—most likely magical—glittered in front of him, preventing all access. He got up dizzily and looked back to see Regina, hands up and glowing from her recent use of magic.

"Emma's right there! Turn the bloody magic off!" barked Hook, his expression dangerously angry.

"She could be dangerous!" shouted Regina in reply. "She doesn't have the dagger with her—Mordred is controlling her! He could make her hurt any one of us!" The former Evil Queen glanced at Henry with worry as she said the latter.

Killian looked down and scowled, sensing truth to the queen's words. As much as he loved her, he didn't want her to hurt her own son, or even any of them.

A sudden scream broke the short silence and Killian's head shot up to stare at Emma. Her mouth was open in a horrifying cry and her hands were blazing with a dark power. She lifted her hands and a blast of magic shot outward from her outstretched palms. He felt a sudden sense of déjà vu as the barrier exploded. Thankfully, the shards of magic dissolved before they could pierce anyone.

Emma was trembling as she took a few steps forward, easily throwing aside every attempt from Regina to stop her from advancing. Her dark magic dissolved the queen's fireballs as if they were nothing, countered her blasts of lighter magic with her own, and completely obliterated every barrier the Queen threw at her.

His Swan was walking toward him, every part of her face pleading for him to get away from her. He knew he should move. He knew he should run away as fast as he could. But he didn't. He wanted— _needed_ to hold Emma in his arms again.

"Hook!" he faintly heard David shout. "Get away!"

He faltered in his gaze with the blonde woman in front of him and moved back a step. Tears were falling down her face now, her eyes losing some of their darkness but still keeping the same horrifying sadness.

That was when he knew something was wrong. Her hands were outstretched, reaching towards him as if to grab him. Killian backed away slightly, his eyes widening. "Emma," he whispered, "snap out of it."

She stared at him, looking him straight in the eye. "I-I can't," she said softly, halting briefly in her approach. "Please. Leave."

"No, Swan. I won't let you slip away from me again," he hissed adamantly, moving closer. He tried to reach out to her but she moved back, crying out slightly as if she was fighting something inside of her. He eyes were wracked with pain and Killian wanted more than anything to relieve her of her agony.

"LEAVE!" she shouted, her eyes blazing black with anger. The dark rage subsided and she took another step towards him. She was crying again and before Killian could react, her hand was plunged inside of his chest.

He heard someone cry out from behind him, but he couldn't tell whom. The world was a blur of pain as a cold hand gripped his heart. He was all too familiar with this feeling. She was pulling his heart out. How ironic. All this time, he had thought that if anyone would kill him it would be the Dark One. And now it was killing him, but it wasn't the Dark One he had imagined. His own love was going to crush his heart.

"Please, Emma..." he whimpered. He knew she couldn't hear him. She was fully under the dagger's control.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes glazed over with tears. She was in agony, he could tell. The pain increased tenfold as she tugged and his heart was freed from his body. She held in her hand now—the small, beating organ. Killian was slightly surprised at the large amount of pure red; only a spot of darkness marred the object.

Emma squeezed slightly, her body shaking violently, and he doubled over in pain. He screamed out as he felt his life being taken away, crushed by the one person he thought would never harm him.

Killian collapsed to the ground, ready for his death. Memories flashed before his eyes.

Milah, laughing softly as he showed her his ship for the first time.

Rumpelstiltskin crushing her heart.

Three hundred years of fruitless yearning for revenge.

Meeting Swan.

Betrayal.

Storybrooke.

Neverland.

Jealousy.

Wicked.

Cold.

Darkness.

Love.

The pain suddenly vanished as quickly as it had come. Killian was down on all fours, breathing heavily. What had happened? Was he dead? No. He was still very much alive. Emma was above him, breathing heavily. His heart was still clutched in her hand, but her grip had lessened.

Her eyes were clenched shut and she was shaking like mad. "Emma...?" he asked hesitantly, getting up and ignoring the sharp after-effects of pain, hitting the place his heart should have been. A sudden blast of magic shot past him and Killian barely dodged it. He lay panting on the ground, his side singed slightly from the burst of heat. He looked back only to see his Swan lying unconscious on the grass, his heart resting abandoned beside her. He rushed over to her without a second thought.

Regina had evidently done something to her—knocked her unconscious with her magic perhaps. He was proven right as the rest of his company rushed towards him, David helping him up.

"What happened?" asked Killian blearily, shaking his head to rid the sudden nausea.

"I knocked her out," said Regina simply. "She must have been weak already—it didn't take much effort." She scanned Killian, as if checking for any bodily harm. "She was fighting the dagger's control. Another second and she would have crushed your heart."

Killian shuddered at the thought.

"Well?" asked Henry, interrupting the momentary silence. "What are we going to do now?" The boy gestured to his mother, unmoving on the ground.

"We need to leave. Now," said Regina plainly. "Mordred could be here any moment—or he may have already fled. In any case, he has the dagger and Emma could wake up any moment now."

"So we just leave her here?" cried out Mary Margaret in outrage. Killian couldn't help but feel the same anger. What was Regina thinking?

"No!" snapped the former Evil Queen. "We bring her with us. We'll get the dagger later—it's too risky to try now."

Before any of them could say another word, the raven-haired woman snapped her fingers and the last thing Killian saw was the one he loved most stirring slightly as they vanished in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 **EMMA POV (Starts at the beginning of this chapter)**

* * *

Emma took deep, shaky breaths as she walked slowly out the cave. Every fibre of her being was trying to resist—trying to shake the dagger's hold. But she couldn't. It was too powerful. She was like a marionette, helpless to do anything but follow its master's commands.

Her steps became uneven and jolting as she approached the entrance. She didn't want to go out there. She couldn't go out there. She couldn't hurt anyone. But she had too. From here, Emma could see her family staring at her, wide-eyed. _Please. Please don't make me do this._

"Emma!" shouted a voice. She knew it instantly who it was. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Emma's eyes glittered with tears as she saw Killian running towards her.

"Hook," she whispered half-heartedly. Her voice contained anything but joy. She needed to warn him. She needed to get him, and the rest of them, out of here. Emma saw him falter slightly as he took in her appearance. She knew she must look _horrible._ Who knew what the darkness had done to her by now? And being locked up in a cell for hours couldn't have helped. Emma hoped that her outward appearance would discourage him from moving forward, but to no avail. He charged towards her, determination filling his features.

Emma saw Henry too, running just as fast as the pirate, as were her parents. They all wanted to be with her, it was so heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because she knew she would only hurt them. She had no choice.

" _Move forward,_ "hissed a voice in her head. Mordred. Flames of anger rose up inside of her, but she knew she could do nothing to quench them. She was completely powerless to do anything but what her master ordered her to do.

Emma moved forward, trying with every piece of her soul to resist. She heard a sudden shout and then she was trapped on the other side of a wall—some sort of magical barrier. _Regina_. She breathed out a silent thanks to the woman. It would slow her down, but somewhere inside of her, Emma knew that Regina's magic would not stop her.

She saw Killian yell something at Regina, and Regina shoot a reply back. Emma was breathing too heavily to hear a word they were saying. The voices in her head were drowning out all sounds from the outside world.

" _Destroy the barrier._ "

 _No._

" _Destroy the barrier._ "

 _No._

 _"DESTROY IT!"_

The pain overwhelmed her, lighting each and every one of her veins on fire. She couldn't take it anymore. Emma screamed out in pain and released a fresh wave of dark magic from her palms. It shot outwards, breaking through the barrier as if it were nothing. The shards exploded out, dissolving before they could hit anyone.

 _"Move forward. Towards the pirate._ "

She was trembling violently as her body forced her to obey the command. No. Not Killian. He couldn't make her hurt him. She _wouldn't_ hurt him. She loved him too much to ever hurt him. The pirate only stood there as she began advancing towards him. Why wasn't he moving? Why wasn't he running away? Was he stupid? He had to get away!

" _Don't let her hit you,_ " hissed the magician.

Emma blasted away every attempt of magic thrown at her by the former Evil Queen. Her powers were nothing compared to Emma's. She could overpower the other woman with a wave of her hand.

Tears were streaming down her face now and she couldn't do anything to stop them. She was getting closer. Closer. Closer. Why wouldn't he move, dammit?

" _Now rip his heart out_ ," snarled Mordred.

 _No_. He couldn't make her do this. But he _was_ making her do it.

Emma reached out, her hands shaking, her vision blurry. "Emma," he whispered, his eyes wide, "snap out of it!"

She looked him straight in the eye. "I-I can't," she murmured. The tug was getting stronger now. She couldn't hold it off for much longer. "Please. Leave." He had to get out of here.

"No, Swan. I won't let you slip away from me again," he hissed, moving forward to touch her. She really hated him right now. Couldn't he see that he couldn't stay there? He would _die_! If he died, she would break. She couldn't lose him too. The pull. It was too much. It was too painful.

"LEAVE!" she shouted, a last-ditch attempt. She knew it wouldn't work. He was too stubborn. He loved her too much to leave her. A new wave of tears overtook her...the pain was too much. She couldn't resist it. Emma plunged her hand inside his chest, the pain multiplying every second.

"Please, Emma..." said Killian softly. He didn't seem angry, only sad. She couldn't see him in such agony. Why was the world so cruel to her? Would she lose everyone she loved? Was that her fate?

"I'm sorry," she said softly. And she really did mean it. She didn't want to do this. And with one tug, his heart was ripped clean out of his chest. Emma's tears had dried now, leaving only sadness. She knew what came next.

" _Crush it._ "

She shook harder than ever before as she was forced to squeeze. It was torture, seeing Killian collapse to the ground, clutching his chest. Killing him. She was killing him.

 _No._ Emma clenched her eyes shut. _No. I won't kill him_.

" _CRUSH IT!_ "

Emma released her hold on the heart and tried to resist the pain. It came in waves, scorching her every bone, her every muscle, her entire body. _No. No. No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no._ Her hand tightened slightly on the beating organ, but loosened just as pain was killing her. She couldn't hold it off for long.

Emma briefly saw Regina lifting her hands, prepared to shoot. Regina's magic couldn't hurt her. _Unless she let it_. The agony kept coming, wave after wave, but Emma stood strong. Her fingers moved with a mind of their own—they were about to squeeze, crush the heart into dust. She saw the blast of magic come her way, barely missing Killian. Emma closed her eyes and let down her defenses, letting the magic overtake her.

And then she crumpled to the ground as the darkness washed over her.

* * *

 **I know I just wrote the same scene twice, but I felt it was important to get it from both points of view. Please review and favourite and follow! Really, it makes my day a thousand times better.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Helloooooooo! How are you beautiful people? Thank you so much for all the support!**

 **Also to the reviewer Baibe, Robin did come with them to Camelot (he doesn't have very many lines. Sorry, I'll try to incorporate the guy more XD). Robin, Regina, Snow, David, Hook, Henry, and Emma are the ones in Camelot. You'll see some more of Robin in the next Regina POV for sure :)**

 **Disclaimer: Okay, for the twelfth time, I do not own any of this—as much as I wish I did.**

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

 **HENRY POV**

* * *

The sky had darkened, small stars beginning to appear above us. Only an hour had passed since Regina had brought them all back to the village. Henry had immediately checked on his mother—she had regained consciousness almost instantly, but his adoptive mother had rendered her unconscious again, despite many angry protests from the others and himself.

She had replied with, "She's still under the dagger's control. We can't take any chances."

Henry had understood what she was saying, sure. That didn't mean he liked it. The former Evil Queen had found them an abandoned cottage near the edge of the town and tied Emma to a post inside, reinforcing the ropes with magic.

She hadn't woken up yet. All of them were huddled around her, sitting on makeshift chairs and beds. Killian seemed the most upset. He was situated closest to Emma, holding her hand. He refused to let go, even when Regina advised against it. Henry had been horrified when he had seen his mother rip the pirate's heart out. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined her commit an act of such evil. He knew she was fully under the dagger's control, but he never wanted to see her do anything like that again. It was _scary_ watching Killian almost die in front of him. Henry had given the man a good long hug after they had reappeared in the village, and Killian returned the hug with just as much feeling, albeit surprised at first. The two had grown close in the past few months.

"What if Mordred attempts to summon her with the dagger?" asked Robin, breaking them all out of their silent thoughts. "Could she not simply disappear?"

Henry's adoptive mother smiled and reached into the satchel at her side. He briefly wondered if she was going to bring out the book he had given to her for safekeeping. The woman's hand emerged, clutching a small glass vial, seemingly filled with some sort of fine, black powder.

"Don't tell me you've been keeping more secrets hidden in that bloody bag of yours," scoffed Killian. Henry had to agree with the pirate for the most part.

Regina simply glared at the leather-clad man, reaching to uncork the vial. "What is it?" asked his grandpa, David, staring at the raven-haired woman with a slightly suspicious look.

"I grabbed it when I left for my vault to get Merlin's possession to open the portal," answered Regina promptly. "It nullifies any magical abilities for twenty-four hours."

"And you didn't think to use it, oh I don't know, when we were facing the Queens of Darkness? The Snow Queen? Zelena? Pan?" snorted Mary Margaret. Her eyes were narrowed and she seemed to be following along the same lines as her husband.

"I _recently_ developed it," snapped Regina. "I used one of the Sea Witch's scales I found on the docks. Unfortunately, there was only enough for one dosage. I've been saving it." Henry had to marvel at his mother's cleverness. He felt a surge of pride for the woman—she was so resourceful and inventive.

"Then you're going to use it on Emma?" said Hook warily. He had an uneasy expression on his face—one you might get after eating something gross.

"I am," confirmed Regina. "Don't worry," she said hastily after seeing the expression on the pirate's face, "it won't hurt her."

Killian still seemed uncertain, as was Henry. He didn't want to do anything to mom...but then again, if she still had her magic and Mordred summoned her, would she have to leave? He couldn't let her leave again. They had just found her. _Again_. "Do it," he blurted, surprising even himself. "If Mom doesn't have her magic then she _has_ to stay here, right?"

"Well," began Regina, "if he summons her, she will try to get away—she has no choice. But without magic, it won't be so easy. While her magic is temporarily nullified, we can hopefully retrieve the dagger." She sighed, glancing over at Robin and lacing her fingers with his. "And then we can go home. You can try to write something for your mother in the book."

The adults in front of him exchanged glances. A silent decision was reached, and Hook nodded at Regina. Henry's adoptive mother smiled thinly and poured the dust into her hand. It lay glittering in her palm, as black as obsidian. She raised her hand to her mouth and blew the dust lightly in Emma's face. Nothing happened for a moment, until the Dark One coughed slightly and her eyes blinked open blearily. The dust seemed to have been absorbed into her skin, leaving no trace of evidence behind.

"Mom?" he asked hesitantly.

"'Henry?" she said weakly. "Hook?" Her eyes widened and she began struggling wildly, attempting to break free of the ropes securing her to the post. "Hook! Killian! Where is he? Let me go!"

"I'm right here, love," reassured the pirate, stepping into Emma's field of view. He laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder, but the woman shied away, well as much as she could within the restraints.

"I hurt you," she murmured softly, barely loud enough for any of them to here. "I hurt you."

"It wasn't your fault, Emma," said Killian quietly, a pained expression upon his face. "It was the mad magician. He was controlling you."

"I tried!" she shouted suddenly, her voice breaking. "I tried so hard to fight, but-but I couldn't. The pain and fire and _his_ voice..." Emma clenched her eyes shut, letting out harsh, laboured breaths.

"Mom!" said Henry, coming closer to her. "It's okay, we're all find. We're together again." He really meant every word he said. He didn't want his mother to feel guilty. She had saved them all numerous times before. It was only the dagger's fault she had had to rip Killian's fault. Not her fault.

"I almost killed you—all of you," she whispered, her voice a ghost of her former self's. Emma's eyes were wide and her skin was nearly white. Her eyes were green, but Henry could see small tendrils of blackness creeping into her irises.

"It _wasn't your fault_ , Emma!" shouted Mary Margaret, her eyes blazing with passion. "None of this was!"

Henry tried coming closer, but his mother backed up against the post, her eyes widening even more. "Don't, Henry. You can't come near me."

"But Mom—"

"NO!" she screamed, the darkness overtaking her eyes entirely. "I can't hurt you." Her gaze turned towards Regina. "Untie me," commanded the new Dark One. "I need to go."

"No! Stay with us, we'll find Merlin. He can take the darkness out!" persisted Regina. Henry nodded, adding truth to her words. He would help his mom get her happy ending. He would do whatever it took.

" _Nothing_ can help me escape this fate," hissed Emma, her eyes narrowing. "Now, _let me go_." There was such anger burning in her gaze, Henry shuddered slightly. He had never seen this side of his mother and he hoped to be rid of it as soon as possible.

"No," answered the former Evil Queen, frowning.

"Fine," sneered Emma. She raised her hands and closed her eyes, opening them only a moment later. Her face was furious and Henry thought he saw Regina back away a little, a hint of fear colouring her expression. "My magic," Emma hissed softly, her voice dangerously calm, "what did you do?"

Regina didn't answer.

The Dark One screamed. " _What did you do_?"

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Anger burned through her veins, scorching her body. Her magic. It was gone. It was gone. She felt like a part of her was missing. Like someone had ripped out a chunk of her body, like someone had ripped out her soul. She was nothing without her magic. Nothing _._

 _They took away your magic. Are you going to let this pass so easily? Without your magic, you are no one. You aren't important. You aren't significant. You aren't powerful. You're just another speck in a world full of other dots._

Emma's glare was focused on Regina. This woman would _die._ She dared take away her magic? A sharp pain in Emma's heart reminded her that the woman wouldn't have done it without the other's permission. They had all taken away her magic. Why? Did they really fear her so much? Apparently. She couldn't shake off the flash of fear she briefly saw in their eyes. They were afraid of her, no matter how much they didn't want to admit it.

"Emma—" began Regina.

"No!" she hissed, interrupting the woman. "You took it. You took my magic."

"I know, but—"

"Quiet!" Emma snapped. "Just don't. Don't talk."

Hook's hand was still on her shoulder and she pushed it off. They had tied her to a post. They had taken her magic. And now they were pretending to care about her? How cruel could you get?

 _Would family really do this? Would parents do this to their own daughter? Would a son do this to his mother? Would a love do this to his other? They're all afraid of you, face it. Do you really think they would want a monster as their daughter? Their mother? Their lover? No. They want you gone. If they can't have the real Emma, they don't want one at all._

The voice was right—she had come to agree with what it said lately. They didn't want her—they were _afraid_ of her. "Swan!" shouted Hook, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"What do you want, _pirate_ ," she sneered. Something inside of her told her it was wrong to speak to him like that. She loved him, didn't she? But right now, Emma really didn't care. All she wanted was to get out of here.

Killian looked hurt, but Emma shook it off. "Emma, this isn't you," he whispered. His eyes were so pained, she just wanted to get up and wipe away his unshed tears. She wanted to hold him so badly.

"Please," she whispered, staring up at him. "Let me go." Her voice wasn't commanding or demanding or even angry. She just wanted to leave.

Killian's breathing hitched as he looked at her and to her surprise, he sat down to face her. She heard Regina say something, but she didn't know what because she was entranced, bewitched, spellbound. He looked into her eyes, those of cerulean blue meeting slowly fading black. He was leaning in, closer and closer...

" _Dark One, I summon thee._ "

Emma cried out loudly, making Killian jump back, confusion and worry clouding his eyes. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide in terror. Mordred. He was summoning her. She couldn't go back. She couldn't. He would make her do things—things she couldn't so easily shake off this time. They would have lasting consequences.

"Emma, what's wrong?" asked her mother, concern lacing her voice.

"He-he's summoning me," she managed to breathe out. She was struggling against the ropes, and for the first time in the past hour, she thanked god they had tied her up. Her body seemed to be contradicting her mind, attempting frantically to escape while her brain told her over and over again to stay put.

"What do we do?" cried Henry, looking over at Regina.

"Nothing," said Regina, a pained expression crossing her face. "The command will fade away eventually. He'll stop when she doesn't come." Even Robin was looking at the Queen uncertainly.

And then Emma screamed. The pain. It had started, blocking out her vision until everything was a blur of colour. Fire, burning her insides, roasting her brain. There was only one thing she could think of: getting to Mordred. She needed to go. He had summoned her. She desperately pulled at the ropes, but they were too tight—enforced with some kind of magic.

The ropes scratched at her wrists. She felt blood leak out of her skin, but the external pain was nothing compared to the fire within. She couldn't get out. They had taken her powers. Emma felt a scream rise in her throat as the pain multiplied. She vaguely felt people shaking her and calling out, but she couldn't hear them over the sound of her beating heart. It felt like hours, days before it stopped, fading to a dull throb. She collapsed against the post; sweat coating her forehead and her hands shaking violently. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to relish the cool breeze hitting her face and the blissful peace surrounding her.

"Emma!" Someone was shaking her but she didn't want to open her eyes. All she wanted to do was sleep... "Emma, love, please wake up!"

Killian. She opened her eyes, but only for him. Only for him. "Hook?" she murmured sleepily, cringing at the light that hit her eyes. Emma groaned softly, as she felt the dull throb in her heart. Her pirate was there, his hand cupping her cheek.

"Swan?" he whispered. His face was almost fearful.

"I'm right here," mumbled Emma, blinking her eyes free of sleep.

"Mom! Are you okay? Of course you're not okay! What happened?" Henry's worried face was hovering over hers in a matter of seconds, and Emma had to chuckle.

"I'm fine, Henry," she said softly. She was so exhausted...

"Emma!" The next moment, both of her parents were standing above her, horror and concern etched across every inch of their faces. Robin and Regina joined them and the whole company was now standing before her in a deformed semi-circle.

"Really, I'm fine," she reassured them.

 _It's their fault you had to go through that. They tied you up, took away your magic. It's all their fault, and now they have the nerve to look worried? They're the ones who caused you that pain and they should suffer._

No. They were her family. She loved them.

 _You may love them, but do you honestly think they love you? You're just their Saviour, nothing more._

Emma knew somewhere deep inside of herself that what the voice was saying was far from the truth, but she couldn't help but believe some of it. Was she really just the Saviour to them?

 _Why do you think Hook came to get you from New York? You were living happily with your son, but he came to bring you back to Storybrooke. You know why? They needed saving again. They didn't want_ you _to come back; they were fine with you gone. They only needed the Saviour. Not Emma, just the Saviour._

"Shut up!" she shouted suddenly. "Just shut up!"

Emma looked up to see the surprised faces of the group in front of her. Evidently, Robin had just been saying something only to be cut off by her untimely outburst. "Did I say something wrong?" asked the bewildered man, casting a glance at his girlfriend.

"No, it wasn't you," she muttered quietly. She hated the looks they were giving her.

 _See how they glance at you when they think you're not looking? They think you're insane, unstable, someone to be feared..._

Emma ignored the voice, instead shaking her head roughly, as if the negative thoughts would fly straight out of her ears. It wasn't that simple, unfortunately.

"I'm sorry, Emma," said Regina suddenly, interrupting the uncomfortable silence that had formed. "I didn't know it would cause you such pain to be held back from going to him."

"S'okay," she mumbled, even though she knew it was _not_ okay. She never wanted to feel that fire again—the burning and scorching of her soul. It was torture. _Why are you being so civil? You should be strangling them with your bare hands!_

No, she would never do that.

 _Or would you? They deserve it, for everything they've put you through. Remember your oh-so-perfect parents condemning an innocent child? Abandoning you for the sake of the greater good? Leaving you to live twenty-eight years of your life alone? And what about Regina? She's the one who caused it all in the first place. And now she's supposedly trying to save you. Along with Robin—he barely knows you; he doesn't care about you, he's just following Regina._

Her parents had had to abandon her. She understood that—she had learned to accept it long ago. And Regina—Regina _was_ trying to save her. The Queen cared about her, didn't she? They were friends now, despite all of their past conflicts.

 _Even Henry—you know he prefers his other mother to you. He always has. After all, she raised him since he was a baby._

Henry loved both of them equally. Didn't he?

 _And the pirate—don't get me started on him. He doesn't love you. How can he love you when his real 'true love' died centuries ago? You know he doesn't_ actually _care._

No. She was sure of one thing and it was that Killian loved her. But he had never said it...

"Swan!" shouted a voice, shaking her out of her thoughts. It was Hook.

"What is it?" she murmured blearily. Emma really didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

The pirate smiled at her. "Emma," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder, "we're going back to Storybrooke!"

* * *

 **Done! Please review and favourite and follow—reviews are like ice cream. Who doesn't like ice cream? I love ice cream. Really, I do. Ice cream is** _ **my**_ **true love (along with cake, pie, etc.)...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Arghh...school is so annoying. There's still a whole month left here in Canada :(**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned any of these characters, I would be rich. And I'm not. So yeah.**

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

"Emma," said Killian, a smile upon his face, "we're going back to Storybrooke!"

Emma's reply was immediate. " _What?_ "

Evidently, she had not heard their conversation a few moments before. Regina thought that it was strange—the woman kept zoning out from time to time and blurting out words. None of them knew what to think of it. It might be a side effect of the Dark One's curse...voices in her head, perhaps? Maybe the Dark One itself was somehow speaking to its host? Or maybe Emma was subconsciously talking to herself in her head and didn't realize it? Whatever the case, it unnerved Regina slightly.

"Yes, what the pirate said," she answered snipingly. Emma turned to glare at her. Regina felt a bit guilty for what she had done to the Saviour a few minutes prior—if it weren't for her, Emma wouldn't have had to face the pain she had clearly been in. But then again, if it weren't for her, Emma would be performing malicious deeds for Mordred, probably at this very moment.

"But what about Merlin?" asked Emma, confusion clouding her features. "And Mordred still has the dagger!"

"Yes, and that's why we can't risk staying here," snapped Regina. "But if we are in another realm, the dagger will have no effect on you. Even the Dark One's power doesn't stretch across realms."

"So we're just going to leave him here _with_ the dagger?" hissed the blonde-haired woman. "I need the dagger. It's _mine_." Her last words were said with an inhumane snarl and Regina shuddered a bit. The darkness had clearly taken its toll on Emma.

"Emma—"

Regina interrupted the pirate before he could say any more, earning a glare from the man. "No. We will get the dagger back, but you can't be here—it's too risky with him controlling you. We'll either come back and get it somehow without you, or the better route—free you from the dagger's control."

"Sounds like you have this all planned out," said Emma dryly. "And what about Merlin? He's apparently the only one who can get the darkness out."

At this, everyone in the room turned to face Regina and she sighed. "I have reason to believe Merlin isn't in Camelot."

Robin was the first one to reply. "What? He isn't?" The outlaw looked a little hurt and Regina felt a slight pang of regret. She didn't like to hurt Robin—he was the one she never wanted to hurt. He was the one she wanted to live her life with. The one she wanted to grow old with. Sure, he wasn't her entire happy ending, but he was part of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said quietly, and Robin's expression softened. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Why do you think so?" asked Mary Margaret after a few moments of silence. "Why do you think Merlin isn't in Camelot?"

"Yeah, didn't all the stories show him in Camelot?" added Henry. David nodded along with his grandson and wife.

"They did," admitted Regina, "but I knew Merlin...a long time ago. And I had a chance to speak with some of the villagers here. They haven't seen him in years—most of them believe he only exists in legend."

"So, where is he?" asked Hook, arching an eyebrow.

"I think," said Regina, taking a deep breath, "he's in the real world."

"Like New York?" asked Henry excitedly. "Or Storybrooke?"

"Not Storybrooke. The human world," confirmed Regina. "He always used to talk about the real world—he had heard about it, but only in legends. He had always wanted to go there, just disappear off the grid for a while and live his life."

Regina noticed that Emma had not spoken for a while now and looked to the left to see the woman, still tied to the post, muttering to herself quietly. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked upset. She kept shaking her head as if she was denying something.

The rest followed Regina's gaze towards the new Dark One. They exchanged worried glances. What was happening to her? "Mom?" asked Henry hesitantly.

Emma's head snapped up to look at them. There was anger in her eyes, burning black and fierce. And something else too...was it fear? " _What?_ " she snapped, glaring at them. They didn't reply, and Emma scowled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not crazy."

Her reply didn't exactly reassure Regina. They stood there in awkward silence before Emma spoke again. "Are you ever giving my magic back?" Her voice seemed weary, and understandably upset. The Dark One liked power—that much, she knew. The old Emma may not have cared so much, but with the Dark One inside of her, she was different. The darkness was affecting her more than she was letting on.

"It was only temporary, Emma," said Killian quietly. "It'll be back soon."

The woman nodded and Regina could see the relief on her face, as much as she tried to hide it. Emma looked up at Regina, a glint of hardness in her eyes. "And how do you propose we get back to Storybrooke?"

"Henry," answered Regina promptly. She looked at her son with pride. "He can write us back."

Emma looked sceptical, and Henry seemed uncertain. "I don't know..." he said quietly, biting his lip. "I'll try." Regina knew Henry didn't like writing in the book—it was like changing fate in a sense. He didn't want to abuse the Author's powers. "Mom," he said quietly, looking at Emma. "I-I need your blood."

The blonde-haired woman cast him a steely gaze. "Fine," she said tightly after a moment. Regina walked over and untied her from the post. She supposed it was safe to free her now—Mordred wouldn't try to summon her so close to his first failed attempt.

Emma's gaze darkened as she held out her right hand, her wrist already bloody from her struggle against the ropes a few minutes before. Regina was taken aback. The blood wasn't red—not really. It was almost black. She heard Killian let out a strangled breath and Emma's expression darkened, but she pretended not to notice. The Dark One held out her hand, letting Henry gently touch the pen to her wrist.

"Why can't he just write me free of the dagger's control?" asked Emma after a few moments.

"It won't work," said Regina automatically. "Gold would have done it if it did. Besides, nothing can take away the basic fundamentals of what makes the Dark One—not even the Author. But Merlin can, which is why we have to find him."

Regina handed her son the book and pen, ignoring Emma's raised eyebrows and scowl. She knew it wasn't Emma's fault she was acting like this, so she let it pass. Regina watched Henry as he held the pen in his hands and stared at the blank piece of paper, his eyes unseeing.

"Well, get on with it," snorted Emma, immediately looking sorry after she saw Henry's hurt expression. Regina glared at the Dark One. She didn't like when people spoke to her son like that. "Sorry," Emma muttered quietly. "I don't know why I said that."

Henry smiled reassuringly and continued to stare at the book, this time with a slightly more determined expression. He was evidently thinking of what he should right. Regina knew the boy didn't want to mess up. "Let's give Henry a few minutes," she said, looking at the rest of the adults. They shot her knowing glances and went their own ways, Killian going straight to Emma.

The pirate and princess spoke quiet words to each other as they sat on the ground, and Emma leaned her head on the pirate's shoulder as he bandaged her wounds with a piece of cloth. In a matter of minutes (hopefully), they would be back in Storybrooke. Regina didn't know how far exactly the Author's powers stretched, but it should be sufficient to get them back to Storybrooke—after all, the previous Author did create an entire different reality.

"Regina?" said a voice, coming from behind her. She turned around to see Robin, rubbing the back of his head, a bashful expression upon his face.

"What—"

His lips pressed against hers, kissing her with as much force as the man could muster. Regina, surprised by the suddenness, took a step back. Robin stared at her, his eyes clouded with hurt. "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, "I shouldn't have—"

And then she kissed him back, her hands finding their way around his neck. Their bodies fit together perfectly, as if they were simply meant to be. He meets her searing kiss with just as much passion. They were both aware of their audience, but Regina couldn't bring herself to care. She was lost in desire and joy.

A voice interrupted them. "Mom."

She pushed Robin back softly, settling for gripping Robin's hand tightly. She was smiling—giddy with love for the man beside her. "Are you ready, Henry?" she asked, attempting to stop herself from jumping up and down with ecstasy.

"Yeah," said Henry, evidently smiling because of her display of love a few short moments ago. "I think so."

"Then let's go," snorted Emma. "So these two lovebirds can get a room." Her voice wasn't mean, but Regina detected a hint of bitterness in her tone. Emma evidently thought she had lost her happy ending for good—after all, when you're the Dark One, happiness isn't necessarily easy to get. Regina swore to herself that she would do everything she could to get Emma her happy ending. After all, the woman had done the same for her.

Henry took a deep breath and began writing, the ink now as black as night. She couldn't see what he wrote, but she did see the portal spiral out in front of them. The swirling mass of blue was enough to make anyone laugh with joy—but she didn't do that kind of stuff. Instead, Regina gazed at everyone standing in front of her.

Snow and David, the ones she had hated for so long, but eventually grown to respect (just a little). Killian Jones, the pirate she hadn't known for long, but already knew he was a man of honour (or at least he was now). Emma Swan, the one who had sacrificed herself for Regina's happy ending. No one had done that before. Henry, her son—the love of her life (well, one of her loves), the one who inspired her. And Robin Hood—her true love.

"Come on," she said, gesturing to the rest of them, "let's go home."

Emma went first, with Hook close behind. Then Mary Margaret and David. Then Henry. Then Robin. Regina went last, jumping in after the outlaw, her world lost in a swirling mass of blue.

She landed with a thud on the ground, getting up quickly to brush herself off. It seemed that they were in the forest just outside of the town; right outside of the well Emma and Mary Margaret had come through ages ago. Something was wrong. Something was off.

Regina turned around to see an all too familiar face get up off the ground. Mordred.

He laughed.

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

She breathed in his smell. He smelled of the ocean and rum; smells she had missed so much. Emma watched through tired eyes as she sat on the ground, leaning on his shoulder. He ripped strips of his shirt, bandaging the sore skin on her wrists. "I don't want to hurt you again," she mumbled quietly, glancing up at him.

"Swan," he said firmly, turning on the ground to face her. "You won't. I know it. You're too strong for that. And besides," he whispered, smiling wryly, "I'm a survivor."

She smiled at him, but didn't say anything. He stared at her with sad eyes and she could tell that he realized her smile was forced. He continued bandaging her wounds and she watched Robin approach Regina, and take her by surprise. It wasn't long before both were sealed in a passionate kiss. Emma clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to watch.

 _They're so perfect together, aren't they? You gave them their happy ending, losing yours in the process. You're the Dark One now—a happy ending doesn't come with the package._

"Mom," said a voice. She looked up, expecting to see Henry hovering above her. No. He was talking to Regina. Of course he was. Emma couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy—did Henry really love Regina more?

 _Of course he does. You're just too stubborn to admit it._

"Are you ready, Henry?" asked Regina.

"Yeah," said the boy smiling. "I think so."

It wasn't hard to believe that Henry loved Regina more by the way he was looking at her. But she shouldn't be bitter. After all, the woman had raised Henry since he was born. But he loved Emma at least a little, didn't he?

 _Do you not see the look he gets on his face when he sees you now? He thinks you're a monster—as does everyone else for that matter. Of course he doesn't love you!_

"Then let's go," snorted Emma, attempting to distract her mind from its current thoughts. "So these two lovebirds can get a room." She saw Regina shoot her a glance. The woman obviously didn't miss the bitterness in her tone.

It wasn't fair. Was everyone going to get their happy ending but her? Killian was here, he was beside her, but Emma still knew that they could never be truly happy with all the darkness in her soul, sucking away the light each passing moment.

Emma's son took a deep breath and began writing in the book. There was a brief glow and then a circle of blue spiraled out in front of them. She didn't miss the proud expression on Henry's face. She was proud of him too.

"Come on," said Regina, gesturing to all of them, "let's go home."

Emma leaped through the portal without a second thought; Hook not too far behind her. She didn't know what to feel. She was going back home—it felt like she had been away for so long, when it had only been a few days. Not even that long. Would everyone there be afraid of her? Would they accept her back? She was the new Dark One—everyone in town was sure to know by now.

Did she even want to go back at all? Going back meant she might hurt people. Lose control. Gold had done irreversible things; he had deserved the hate of the entire town. Would the same thing happen to her now? Would she do things that would make people hate her? She had already hurt Killian—more than once, and she didn't want to hurt anyone else. The best thing would be to stay away. Yes. She would leave as soon as they reached Storybrooke. They probably didn't want her around anyway. Everyone would be much safer. Maybe she would go find Merlin...?

Emma landed on the ground roughly, rolling to her side. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring Killian's outstretched hand to her right. She watched her parents come through the portal. Then Henry and Robin. Regina came a few moments later, getting up as soon as she hit the ground.

The portal blinked out, but not before Emma saw someone else come out. The man dusted himself off and stood up, a familiar dagger clutched in his hand. Her throat seized up and she didn't dare breath. No. He couldn't be here. Not in Storybrooke. He lifted his head, grinning sickly, a laugh catching in his throat. There was no doubt about it—it was Mordred.

And he was staring right at her.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello! Thanks again for everything :)**

 **Disclaimer: All of these characters are the rightful property of Adam and Eddy (In the dream world, I own them though.)**

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Chapter 14

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

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Killian watched Mordred carefully. The man had clearly come through the portal with them somehow, bringing the dreaded dagger along with him. He was looking at Emma, a twisted grin upon his face. Instinctively, Killian stepped in front of her, shielding her from whatever Mordred wanted to do.

She pushed him away with a scowl. "I can handle myself," she muttered quietly. He was slightly hurt, but nonetheless stood steadfast beside her. Mordred raised the dagger and Emma stiffened.

A burst of magic shot out of Regina's palms, straight towards the magician. He cackled and disappeared, reappearing right behind him. Killian whipped around, glaring at the man. "Come here," hissed Mordred into the dagger.

Emma shuddered beside him and walked stiffly over to the magician. "Leave her alone!" he shouted, charging towards Mordred. The man only laughed, whispering something else into the weapon.

Within moments, Emma was standing in front of him, a wicked double-edged blade in her hand. Killian barely blocked her first strike with his hook and rolled backwards as she swung again. He desperately looked around for any sort of aid, but Mordred seemed to have conjured up several creatures of stone. Each one of his friends was busy fighting off their own opponent, much too occupied to provide him with any ample assistance. Killian pulled his own sword out of his scabbard, prepared to fight Emma if it was needed.

Apparently it was needed, for Emma slaved on in her relentless pursuit. He saw the pain in her eyes, but he knew there was nothing she could do against the dagger. Funny how such a small piece of silver could control such a powerful being. He parried her next thrust with ease—Killian knew he was much more skilled than Emma. He had had hundreds of years of practice, whereas she had had barely any. He could beat her effortlessly, but he was holding back. He didn't want to fight Emma any more than she did.

Killian spotted Henry struggling to his right. The stone creature—a Golem perhaps—had nearly overpowered the boy and was now preparing to bash him over the head. Without a moment to spare, Killian lifted his sword and stabbed the creature in the chest. It stumbled back, giving Henry enough time to scramble to his feet. The lad shot him a grateful glance and continued fighting. He really was the grandson of Prince Charming and Snow White, the way he fought.

Unfortunately, that distraction was enough for Emma to tackle him to the ground. Breathing heavily, Killian attempted to get up, only to have Emma's sword pressed up against his neck. It reminded him eerily of their fight in the Enchanted Forest, back when Cora was still alive. Only this time, she had him on his back and not the other way around.

"Emma, please," he choked out as the woman pressed the sword deeper into his neck, drawing blood.

She didn't reply, only looked at him with overwhelming pain. She pressed the weapon deeper, all the while her eyes wildly darting from him to something on the ground beside her. He managed to turn his head slightly beneath her weapon to see a rock on the forest ground, roughly the size of a small apple. He knew what she wanted him to do, but that didn't make it any easier. He also knew that if she killed him, she would never forgive herself. She would fall into a downward spiral and truly become the Dark One.

"Sorry, love," he whispered.

He grabbed the rock and with as much force as he could muster, hit her over the head. She fell to the ground, her sword dropping onto the soil beside her. Killian had hated doing that to her, but he knew with a grim certainty it was the only way. She _had_ hit him over the head with the compass after all. Now it was his turn, as much as he didn't want to do it. He gently picked Emma up and laid her off to the side, safe from harm. He leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, but right before he could touch his lips to her skin, a scream was heard.

Killian jerked around to see Mary Margaret being held in the air, the Golem-like creature choking the life out of her. He could see David attempting to get to his wife, frantically trying to subdue his own opponent, but to no avail. The rock creatures were as relentless as they were strong—and they were quite strong.

Killian leaped to his feet and took off running towards the creature holding Snow in its vice-like grip. He held his sword high and jabbed at the Golem's chest. It roared in pain and dropped Mary Margaret, the woman rolling to the ground and recovering quickly. He attempted to release the sword from the rock creature's chest, but it stuck and only angered it more. The Golem stumbled back and yanked Killian's sword out of its chest, throwing it off to the side—much too far for him to reach in time.

"Hook!" shouted David. Killian glanced to his right just in time to catch the sword David threw at him. The prince pulled a gun from a holster at his waist and began shooting madly at the creatures. The bullets seemed to slow the rock things slightly, but not fully defeat them. If anything, they just got angrier.

Regina was shooting bursts of her magic at them—she was the only one actually doing any damage. The creatures crumbled as they were hit by the light torrents of power, only to reassemble themselves again. They were fighting a hopeless battle.

"How do we defeat these things?" he shouted at the sorceress as he fought with a particularly big one.

"Find the source!" yelled Regina. "Mordred! We have to take him down!"

Killian nodded at her and proceeded to fight his way through the Golems, his eyes roving throughout the clearing, looking for a glimpse of the shaggy hair and sallow face he had grown to hate so much.

There. He was standing off to the side, laughing all the while, and watching his mass of stone creatures easily take them down. The man still had the dagger clutched tightly in his hand, evidently not having noticed Emma's current state. He hadn't see Killian yet. Good.

He approached Mordred stealthily, careful to blend with all the havoc around him. He saw Regina join him from the corner of his eye and gestured for her to sneak around the other way—then they could hopefully ambush him.

He dodged the rock creatures, striking any that got in his way down swiftly, not waiting for them to reassemble themselves. He had gotten behind Mordred now...he was close enough to touch him with the tip of his sword. The man didn't seem to have noticed—he was still staring gleefully at the battle raging in front of him.

Killian raised his sword, preparing to strike, hesitating at the last moment. He had to do this for Emma. This man deserved to die for all he had done. But still...it was wrong to kill. His expression morphed into one of grim determination. He would injure the man, take the dagger, but not kill him. No. He was past killing now.

He swung the sword down, aiming for the man's shoulder. Before he could even register what had happened, Mordred was facing him, the tip of Killian's sword held in his free hand. He was smiling. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" sneered the man.

Out of the corner of his eye, Killian saw Regina approaching from behind, prepared to strike. He pulled back his sword and warily held it up in front of him. "Why did you follow us through the portal?" he snarled in an attempt to distract the man from the woman sneaking up behind him.

"I like power," said Mordred simply, "and the Dark One has power. Besides," he sneered, "after I heard Merlin was in this realm, I couldn't just stay in Camelot, could I?"

"What do you have against Merlin?"

"You know," sighed the magician, "distracting me only works if you don't make it obvious." Killian didn't even have time to shout a warning as Mordred whipped around and shot a burst of magic at Regina, throwing her to the ground a few metres away. As far as he could tell, she had been knocked unconscious.

Killian ran forward to attack him. He knew he would never win, but it was worth a try. As he had predicted, his attack yielded no benefit as Mordred turned around and winked at him, before disappearing in a thick cloud of grey smoke.

He let out a shout of frustration and turned around to assess the damage. The rock creatures had all vanished—he assumed because of Mordred's disappearance. Regina was shakily getting to her feet with Robin's help, a nasty bump discolouring her head. Henry and his grandparents were near the couple, quietly talking among themselves. There was someone missing. Emma.

His eyes darted wildly around the clearing, searching for some, any sign of his Swan. She wasn't where he had left her just a few minutes prior. She was gone and he knew with a grim certainty who had taken her. Evidently, the rest had come to the same conclusion. He couldn't believe he had lost her. _Again_.

But he needed to have hope. Hope that they would find her again. Hope that they would save her from the darkness. He wouldn't tell anyone, he wouldn't admit it, but he knew somewhere deep inside of himself that his hope was dwindling. Fast.

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

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Emma groaned. Her head was hurting like hell and her entire body felt like lead. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was fighting with Hook...and then darkness. Oh right. He had hit her over the head with a rock. She supposed it was only fair—after all, the compass must have given him a nasty bruise.

She sat up, clutching her head painfully. Where was she? Certainly not back in the forest. Mordred. She remembered seeing him with the dagger. He must have brought her here. That, or her family had somehow recovered the weapon from him, which, frankly, was about as likely as Regina losing her taste for apples. In other words: not likely.

Emma took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in some kind of cave. Wow, Mordred really liked caves. "Hey! Anybody there?" she called, looking around the seemingly desolate area.

"Hello, Emma."

Great. It was Mordred. "What do you want?" she scowled.

"A lot of things," answered the man nonchalantly.

"I really don't have the patience for this," snapped Emma. She glared daggers at the magician, hoping the imaginary knives would slice right through him.

 _Slice through him. Rip him to pieces. Flay him alive. Burn him. Hurt him. Kill him._

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he laughed, walking closer.

"Anyone would be cranky around you," she shot back.

"Your magic should be back by now."

That took Emma by surprise. She looked down at her palms, and sure enough, they were glowing softly. "H-how?" she stammered, completely forgetting about her annoyance with the man. "Regina said it would take hours!"

Her magic was back! She _had_ felt different since she had woken up—more powerful. She liked the power that came with the Dark One. No matter what the disadvantages, the power was worth it. And now that it was back, she could control, dominate, rule. She could hurt.

"It took twenty-four hours for your magic to return, to be precise," answered Mordred, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Wait, so—"

"Yes, it's been twenty-four hours. In fact, it's been longer."

"How long?" she asked quietly.

"Well, are you counting only the time we were in this cave, or are you counting the time it took for me to find this place? Because—"

" _How long_?" she snarled. She wanted to destroy him. Kill him in the most painful ways. Torture him like he had tortured her.

"A week," he said simply, smiling. "Of course, I had to keep you sedated. You do seem to cause trouble when you're awake."

Emma felt anger rise up inside of her, boiling red hot and obscuring everything else. "You-you bastard!" she spluttered. "You've kept me here for an whole week! I've missed an entire week of my life!"

"And your family, thankfully, hasn't found us yet." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Or perhaps they're simply not looking. They've probably given up by now."

"You shut up," she snarled, moving forward with more speed than she ever thought possible and pinning him against the stone wall. Her hand was up, ready to punch the magician in the face.

"I don't think you want to do that Emma," scolded Mordred, raising the dagger in warning. She reluctantly put him down and settled for an angry glare. "Okay, then! On to business!" he said gleefully, clapping his hands.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Which is...?"

"I am going to _kill_ Merlin," snarled the man, his expression turning dark. "I will flay him alive. And you—well, you are going to come with me!"

She could do nothing but scowl. "Where exactly are we going?"

"You see," he continued, completely ignoring her previous question, "while you were...ah...indisposed, I had plenty of time to do some research!"

"And...?"

"And I believe I've discerned Merlin's location!"

Emma didn't know whether to be happy or upset. They were going to go find Merlin. He could take the darkness out of her; he could release her from the burden of the Dark One. But then again, they weren't necessarily going to ask for his help. They were going to _kill_ him. And she wouldn't exactly have a choice in the matter.

"Which is where?" she asked, hoping he would actually answer her this time.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" he cackled.

She glared at him. "What do you gain by _not_ telling me? Besides, it's not like I can go off and tell anyone else."

"All you need to know," he hissed, "is that we're leaving this quaint little town." Mordred laughed. "Merlin will never know what hit him."

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 **Like it? Please review, favourite, and follow! Next chapter you'll see what the citizens of Storybrooke were doing in the week Emma missed :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello everyone! So this chapter starts off when Killian, Henry, Regina, Robin, David, and Snow enter Storybrooke right after their battle with Mordred and his stone creatures.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope nope nope. Wish I did, but I don't own a thing.**

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Chapter 15

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 **REGINA POV (right after return from Camelot)**

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Storybrooke was quiet.

Regina and the others walked through the town, unnerved by its emptiness. Where was everybody? Robin was the first to voice all of their thoughts. "Where did they go?" he asked no one in particular.

Regina closed her eyes. She mentally scanned the town, searching for some sign of a large group of people. "There's a large energy signature coming from the Town Hall," she said eventually. "I'm assuming they're gathered there."

Snow and Robin were at the head of the group as they hurried towards the building at the centre of the town. They were obviously eager to see Neal and Roland again—she was too. They reached the Town Hall within minutes and Regina was one of the first to burst through the doors.

The group was greeted with stares and relieved smiles. Almost immediately, they were assaulted with a barrage of questions and a torrent of people trying to get to them.

"Calm down!" shouted Regina, shooting a glare at the pushy crowd. Her expression was enough to scare everyone back to their seats and she saw Henry laugh a little. Ruby and Belle approached them after the ruckus had calmed, handing over Neal and Roland to their rightful guardians.

"Daddy!" shouted the little boy, jumping into his father's arms. He grinned at his father and to her surprise, smiled brightly at Regina as well.

"Did you find the Dark One?" asked someone in the crowd after a few moments. Belle had evidently filled the rest of the town in on the events of the other night.

"Her name is Emma," snapped Hook almost immediately.

"Yes, we did find her," sighed Regina, shooting a warning glance at the pirate. "You all need to know—there is a new enemy in town."

The uproar was instant. "Who?"

"Another one?"

"Is it the Saviour?"

"What do they want?"

"Quiet!" she yelled, effectively silencing everyone. When no one spoke up again, she continued. "His name is Mordred and he possesses the Dark One's dagger. He followed us through the portal back to Storybrooke and now has complete control over the Saviour. As of now, we do not know what he wants, but we would advise everyone to keep alert. He has magic of his own, and with Miss Swan on his side, it would be unwise to cross him."

The townspeople remained silent, quietly absorbing all of the new information. It wasn't long before they began to speak again, muttering to one another in panic. Regina knew they were scared—you would be a fool not to be. "So what do we do now?" asked a young girl. She was about Henry's age. Regina recognized her faintly as Paige, or Grace, or whatever her madman of a father called her these days.

"Continue on with your lives," she answered simply. "If you see anything suspicious, tell me or David. Just be careful, I suppose."

Regina dismissed the town meeting, sending the people back to whatever they were doing before coming here. Robin smiled at her, Roland sitting happily in his arms. She could tell he was impressed with the way she handled her citizens.

After a while, the six of them were left alone in the Town Hall, along with Neal, Roland, Belle, and Ruby. Hook and David were murmuring quietly to each other—they were clearly speaking about Emma. Mary Margaret had joined the men's conversation almost immediately, cradling her baby softly in her arms. Henry was talking with Ruby about something and Robin was standing nearby, nodding his head, with Roland half-asleep in his arms.

"Belle," said Regina urgently, "has Gold woken up?"

"No," sighed the brunette woefully, "I can't seem to make sense of it. It's like he's in some sort of magical coma—his heart is beating, but he isn't breathing." She paused, looking up at Regina pleadingly. "I was hoping you might be able to take a look."

She nodded. "Of course." Right now, they needed Gold more than anything. He knew the most about the Dark One; he even knew more about Merlin than she did. If anyone could help them, it was him. "And the Sorcerer's Apprentice?" asked Regina. "Is he still residing in your shop?"

Belle's expression morphed into one of confusion. "I saw him jump through the portal after you. I assumed he had gone with you to Camelot...?"

"He never came with us," said Regina uneasily. "Or at least we never saw him." Had the Sorcerer's Apprentice gone to Camelot unnoticed? Was he there right now?

"Then I don't know..." muttered Belle anxiously. "Did you see Emma?

"Yes, we saw her."

"And...?"

"She was different," said Regina, hesitating slightly. "She's still in there—fighting. Sometimes she's like the Emma we know, and sometimes..."

Belle nodded, seeing where she was going. "How are you going to get it out of her? I've seen Rumple fighting his darkness." The brunette's face darkened significantly. "No one should have to deal with a burden like that."

"Merlin," Regina replied promptly. "We think he has the power to free Emma from the darkness."

"And where is he?"

She sighed. "I have reason to believe he's somewhere in the real world—outside of Storybrooke. As for his exact location, I don't know."

Belle furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "The library might have something that can help. Or perhaps the shop. Feel free to come and look around."

"Thanks," she said, taking a deep breath. "Belle?"

"Yes?"

"How is..." Regina hesitated, "how is Zelena?"

Belle gave her a strange look—almost pitying. The two women had come far in the past few months. They had gone from hating each other (mostly from Belle's side since, well, Regina _had_ locked her up in the hospital's mental ward for twenty-eight years) to acquaintances, to something almost like friends.

"She's fine," said the other woman. "You know, other than always complaining about the 'poor ventilation' and the area being 'not fit for a woman of her condition'. Honestly, she's barely pregnant!"

Regina had to smirk at that. The woman's indignation was enough to make her laugh out loud. "I'm glad to see you've been handling things while we were gone."

Belle nodded. "It's been a joy." Regina didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice, but decided to let it pass—just this once.

"Well," she sighed, "I'd better be going. I have to figure out where Merlin is."

"You know," began the brunette, hesitating slightly, "you don't have to do it alone."

Regina looked at her sceptically.

"I can help," offered the woman tentatively.

She wavered for a moment. "Fine," she said softly.

Belle smiled and gestured for her to lead the way out of the building. Regina bid a quiet goodbye to Robin, Henry, and Roland, and exited the Town Hall. As she headed towards the library, with Belle in tow, Regina couldn't help but think...what would happen if she didn't find anything? It was a big world, after all. Merlin could be _anywhere,_ and as much as she didn't want to see the Sorcerer again, she knew she had to find him—for their sake as well as Emma's.

If she didn't find him, if _they_ didn't find him, was Emma doomed to live a life of darkness? She hoped to God not. The woman had given Regina her happy ending. And she would give Emma hers.

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV (one week later)**

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"Hook!"

" _What?_ " he snapped. Killian's temper was short. It had been a week since they had returned from Camelot. A week since Emma had disappeared. And they _still_ hadn't found her.

He had spent all night searching for Emma—in the forest, in the town, bloody everywhere. But no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find her. Regina's locating spells wouldn't work—nothing did. They had even enlisted Ruby's help. The werewolf had led them partway into the forest but the trail had gone cold. Regina had said it was magic. David had argued that maybe Emma and Mordred had left Storybrooke. Maybe they had.

It was the longest he had been separated from her in weeks, in months. So he did what came natural—he drank rum. He remembered when they were sitting here in the very place he had gone to drink away his sorrows. He and his Swan, gazing out at the Storybrooke harbour.

"Hook!" called David again.

"What do you _want_ , mate?" he replied in irritation.

"Henry thinks he's found something."

At this, Killian stood up immediately, overturning his bottle of rum in the process. "On Emma?"

"No," sighed David, "on Merlin. Henry thinks he knows where we can find the Sorcerer."

He sat back down, weariness overwhelming his body. "What good is that," he sighed, "when Emma isn't here."

He wanted to get the darkness out of Emma, he really did. But first he needed to _find_ her. Hold her in his arms again; free her from Mordred's control. Finding Merlin just wasn't one of his top priorities right now.

"Hook!" barked David. "Snap out of it!"

He cast the man a withering glare.

David shot the look right back at him. "Emma wouldn't want you like this," he said quietly.

Anger boiled up inside of Killian. "How would _you_ know what Emma wants, huh, mate?" he snapped. "You abandoned her when she was a baby! You made her live twenty-eight years by herself! You didn't say or do a bloody thing to stop her from sacrificing herself!"

He expected the prince to look angry, maybe even attack him. Instead, the man only stood there silently, his eyes pained. Killian felt a little sorry—he didn't mean to hurt him. David was probably his best friend in Storybrooke (other than Emma, of course).

"Dave, I'm sorry, I—"

"Look, Killian," said David after a little while, "you're right. I don't know what Emma wants. I don't even know her as well as you do." He hesitated. "But what I do know is that she is my daughter. And I will do whatever it takes to bring her back to the light—finding Merlin is the first step."

Killian stared at him, his breath hitching in his throat. "We'll get her back?"

"Yes. Yes, we will. I promise."

He sighed, looking out at the ocean. It was so beautiful today. Emma would have loved it—the soft rays of the rising sun hitting the gentle waves, colouring them green and blue and yellow. The only sound in the air for miles was the soft splashing of water hitting the land. It was peaceful.

"So are you coming, or not?" said the prince finally. "Because," he said, casting a glance at the overturned bottle of rum beside him, "I'm pretty sure you need to be 100% sober for this."

He smiled and Killian accepted the man's hand, letting David pull him to his feet. "What exactly did Henry find?"

"Something on that computer of his," sighed David as they walked. "Honestly, even after I've lived here for so long, I _still_ can't figure out how those things work."

Killian laughed. "Well there's something we have in common, mate."

They walked the rest of the way to Regina's house in content silence. The sorceress let them in almost immediately and led them up to her son's room. Mary Margaret, Robin, and Belle were already gathered there, huddled around Henry and the magic box object. What had David called it—a computer?

"What did you find, lad?" he asked, nearing closer to the boy and laying a hand on his shoulder, attempting to decipher the words on the 'computer'. He couldn't make sense of them—it was a wonder that this boy, barely a teenager, could decrypt such a thing.

"People have been talking about strange occurrences on Twitter," said Henry animatedly. "They think it's 'magical'!"

"What kind of strange occurrences?" asked Belle uneasily, exchanging glances with Mary Margaret. "Do you think it's Merlin?"

"Exactly!" replied the boy. "They've been seeing things; things they can't make sense of—like stuff popping up out of nowhere. Most people are passing it off as hallucinations, but that many people in one place can't all be hallucinating, can they?"

"I see your point," said Regina, nodding her head. An uncomfortable quiet descended upon the small room.

"What the bloody hell is a 'Twitter'?" asked a bewildered Killian, breaking the silence.

Regina cast him a withering glare and Henry laughed. "It's like a type of social networking site," he replied.

"Social what?"

Henry continued to explain. "People post stuff online for others to see."

"Er..."

"You know what," snapped Regina, "Hook doesn't need to know what Twitter is. All you need to know," she said, turning to face him, "is that there have been multiple reports of something 'magical' and we think it's because of Merlin." She turned back to look at her son. "Where did you say people were seeing these things, Henry?"

Henry's grin widened and he looked at everyone gathered in front of him. "Pack your bags everyone," he said. "We're going to Canada."

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 **Like it? Please review and follow and favourite! Honestly, do you guys think this story is getting boring? Should I keep going with it or should I just stop?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for everything! Really, THANK YOU. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own a bit.**

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Chapter 16

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

Killian was in her room. It still smelled of her, even after so long. The bed was still mussed up, her clothes were still lying abandoned on the floor—it was like she had just been here. Like she hadn't been gone for over a week.

Something caught his eye—something sticking out from under her pillow. He walked over, careful not to mess anything up. He wanted her room to be exactly the same if she—no, _when_ she came back.

He carefully lifted the pillow and had to smile when he saw what was beneath it. It was a picture. Emma was smiling—god, he missed her smile—and her family were gathered around her. Henry was grinning ear to ear, sandwiched between his two laughing mothers. Robin stood next to Regina, happily holding his little son in his arms and gazing adoringly at the woman he loved. The golden duo, Charming and Snow, were near the edge, hand in hand. Killian was there too, a cheeky grin on his face, and his arm slung around Emma's shoulder. He remembered when it was taken. It was right after Gold had been banished, the Snow Queen had been vanquished, and his heart was back in its rightful place. Everyone was happy. But in Storybrooke, happiness never lasted for too long.

"Hook? Come one, we have to leave!"

"Coming, mate!"

Killian sighed, his gaze sweeping across the room one last time, before tucking the picture carefully into his jacket and closing the door behind him. He had argued against going to Canada—several times, in fact. But David and Regina had eventually won. Regina had told him that Mordred had a personal vendetta against the Sorcerer. The man would go find Merlin, and undoubtedly bring Emma along with him. Emma could already be there for all he knew! He had eventually caved, only agreeing to come when they had told him there was a possibility of his Swan being there.

He hurried down the wooden steps, only to see an angry Snow White facing off against a resolute Regina. The mother was yelling heatedly at the other woman, with her hands on her hips and her baby sleeping softly beside her in his crib.

"I should go! She's my _daughter_!"

"And you also have a son," snapped Regina, "who you need to take care of. Besides, I need _someone_ to handle the town while I'm gone!"

"Belle can do that!"

"The people look up to you more! You're their _queen_ for god's sake! Belle's husband is already in a coma—I know you don't want to hand her the burden of handling the town _and_ two children. Who knows how long we'll be gone?"

"Exactly!" shouted the petite brunette. "I don't know how long you'll be gone! I'll have no way of knowing whether you've succeeded or failed or even survived!"

Regina opened her mouth, most probably to deliver another scathing comment, only to be interrupted by David. "Mary Margaret," said the prince. "Snow. You need to stay."

"Oh, you're on her side too?"

"No, I'm on the side that's best for us—for you," said David firmly. "Who will take care of Neal while we're gone? Who will keep everyone in order?"

Killian could see Snow faltering slightly in her fiery gaze, a look of indecision crossing her face. "But what about Emma..."

"We'll find her," he said, elbowing David out of the way (hence the man sending him a glare) and looking straight at the woman in front of him. "I promise you, milady, I will bring Emma back—darkness or no darkness."

Mary Margaret's gaze softened and she glanced at her baby sleeping peacefully beside her. "You'll come back?" she whispered.

"Yes," said David, before Killian could speak any further, "yes, we will."

Killian saw Henry standing near the door. "Let's go, then!" shouted the boy.

"Wait!" said Regina suddenly, narrowing her eyes at her son. "Who says you're coming?"

He groaned. This again? "Let the lad come. It's his mother after all."

Regina scowled and glared at Killian.

"You know he'll stow away if you don't allow him to join us."

Henry nodded as if to prove Killian's words right. The former Evil Queen sighed and eventually caved, after, of course, shooting another glare at him. My, he seemed to be popular today. At least Henry appreciated him (the boy was currently giving him grateful glances—quite frequently at that).

The five of them piled into David's truck after saying their goodbyes. David and Mary Margaret kissed (rather passionately), and Killian finally understood what Emma had meant by her parents and their so-called 'public displays of affection'. Robin had hugged his little son and told him to keep safe, and lectured him for quite a while to stay with Belle or Snow at all times. The little boy—Roland—had only responded with a cheeky grin and Killian instantly knew he wasn't planning to follow his father's orders in the slightest, but he let it pass.

David stepped on the gas pedal and they were off. Killian sat in the front with the prince, and the three others were squeezed into the back. He had to admit that these 'automobiles' were ingenious inventions. Even after so long spent in Storybrooke, he hadn't gotten used to all the various technological creations. Still, Killian would have preferred his ship any day.

He could see the town line now—Regina had brought the Snow Queen's scroll along with them, so there was a way to get back into the hidden town. "Stop!" yelled Henry suddenly, causing David to screech to a halt.

"What is it, Henry?" asked the prince, now completely alert.

"Mom," whispered the boy softly. For a moment, Killian thought he was speaking of his adoptive mother, but then he saw _her_. Swan. She was standing there, next to the border, her beautiful blonde hair whipping in the wind. The yellow buggy he had grown so used to was situated next to her, sparkling in the sunlight. She was staring right at him.

"Emma!" he half-shouted, wasting no time in leaping out of the truck and rushing towards his Swan. Something was off. She wasn't smiling. She only stood there, her face completely devoid of emotion, and darkness filling the depths of her eyes. This wasn't her—this wasn't Emma. It was the Dark One. "Swan?" he asked, more hesitantly this time.

"I assume you're going to find Merlin?" she asked, giving no indication that she was happy to see him.

"Yes. We'll get the darkness out of you, Emma. Come with us!" His words tumbled out of his mouth like a waterfall.

Henry, David, Regina, and Robin had already caught up to him. Killian noticed with a hint of unease that Regina had her hands up, as if she was preparing to use her magic if needed, and Robin was staring at the woman in front of them with an almost fearful expression.

"Sorry, Hook," hissed the Dark One. "I'm afraid I'm not going to find Merlin to get the darkness out."

"Why?" asked Henry in confusion.

"I'm going to kill him," she said simply. This time, she really did look sorry. The blackness in her eyes was fading and a hint of regret was visible in her features.

"Mordred," scowled Regina and Killian instantly understood. The magician was going to make Emma kill Merlin.

"Yes, _Mordred_ ," snarled Emma, saying his name like it was poison on her tongue.

David growled. "Where is that son of a bi—"

"Now, now. No need for profanity!" spoke an all too familiar voice, interrupting the prince. It was him, of course. The man Killian most hated at the moment. Mordred strode out of the trees, the dagger held proudly in his hand.

" _You_ ," Killian hissed, glaring at the man. If only looks could kill.

"Yes, me!" laughed Mordred gleefully. "So you all have supposedly figured out where Merlin is?"

No one spoke.

"Not very talkative today, are we?" sighed the magician sadly. "Oh well." He stopped and looked at Killian, as if he was scanning him. Killian suddenly felt self-conscious and had the strange urge to move out of Mordred's visual periphery. "This is your lover?" he said, speaking to Emma. "Not very impressive, I must say."

Emma scowled but she seemed to be unable to say anything back. She kept her hands clenched and her eyes trained on the ground in front of her, avoiding eye contact with him at all costs. Killian's anger only grew, but he kept it hidden, staring at the man with cold, calculating eyes.

"What do you want?" snapped Regina, taking a step forward.

"I want to kill Merlin," he said shrugging. "Really, I thought it was quite obvious by now. You're going to try and find Merlin too, aren't you—try and free her from the Dark One?"

"Yes," said Henry boldly, "yes, we are."

Mordred's eyes moved from Killian to Henry. "And this is your son, isn't it?" he said to Emma, laughing slightly. "He's a brave one. I like him."

"Don't you dare touch my son," growled Regina, stepping in front of Henry to shield him from the man's gaze. Emma was seething with anger as well—Killian could tell. The magician had evidently commanded her not to speak.

Mordred sighed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, alright. Say! I've got an idea!" He clapped his hands like a little boy. "Let's make it a race!"

"A race?" asked Robin.

"Yes, a race!" Mordred smiled, showing off each of his pointy, yellow teeth. "We'll see who can get to Merlin first! We get there first and the Sorcerer dies, you get there first and he lives! Well, that is, until we get there—then he'll die."

"So he dies either way," said Regina coolly.

"I suppose," shrugged Mordred. "I was never really one for specifics."

Killian heard Regina sigh in exasperation. "Okay, fine, we'll 'race'", she said. "But if we get there first, the Sorcerer lives. You don't get to kill him. You'll hand the dagger over and allow us to free Emma from the Dark One. You won't interfere—you'll leave us all alone."

"And what if _we_ get there first?" Mordred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Then you can kill him and keep the dagger," Regina said simply, much to the shock of all those around her, Killian himself included. Merlin was the only way to get the darkness out of Emma! The man was a bloody magician! And he had the Dark One with him! Of course he would win! What was Regina thinking? And letting him keep the dagger? No. He would not allow it. The rationale part of his mind caught up with him and he realized that they wouldn't be able to use magic outside of Storybrooke. Still, even without magic the duo was powerful—Emma was unwillingly on his side, after all.

"Deal!" snickered the man happily, flashing them a grin. "So, are we all ready?"

Killian nodded, and he assumed the others did as well, for Mordred cackled. "I'll count us in," he said joyfully. "Ready, set—"

Mordred suddenly raised the dagger to his lips and there was a burst of white light. The next moment, Killian found himself lying on the ground a good distance away from Emma and the magician. He attempted to stand up but he couldn't move a muscle. Emma had her hands raised, her eyes apologetic. Mordred laughed and Killian growled at him.

"It wouldn't be a good race if we all played fair, now would it?" he simpered. He and Emma got in her car and they drove off without a second glance back. He groaned. How long would he be stuck like this? He assumed the others were beside him—he couldn't see them because he simply couldn't move his neck.

The feeling slowly returned to his body, but it took too long. Far too long. When he was able to move again, it felt like hours had passed. Every agonizing second was torture. He was eventually able to clamber to his feet and he seemed to be the first one to have broken free of the paralysis. The others stood up moments later, anger clouding their eyes.

"She's more powerful than I thought," muttered Regina, running a hand through her hair. "Paralysing us all for that long with a single blast...well, I couldn't ever do that, no matter how much I practiced."

"How long...?"

"An hour," said the woman grimly.

"An hour?" shouted David, Henry, Robin, and Killian at the same time. They wasted no time in clambering back into the truck.

Killian stared ahead at the town line, determination etched across his features. "Step on it, mate."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

She had hated doing that. Hated it with every fibre of her being. But she couldn't say or do anything about it. All she could do was drive. She didn't know where they were going—Mordred had simply commanded her to drive north. He would occasionally tell her to turn right or left, but he stayed quiet for the most part.

Her family, Killian, Robin, Regina—they were going to find Merlin too! Any doubts she had had before about them had completely vanished. They still cared about her—well, cared enough to try and vanquish the darkness from inside of her.

 _Or maybe they're doing it for themselves? Do you honestly think they want the threat of the Dark One killing them all hanging over them for the rest of their lives? To them, you're just like any of the other villains they've had to face—Cora, Pan, Zelena, Ingrid, Ursula, Cruella, Maleficent, Gold..._

Was she just another villain to them?

 _They care more about saving themselves than saving you. Do you honestly think they would hesitate to kill you? Unfortunately, they're not the ones with the dagger._

Emma squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, attempting to focus on the road. She didn't want to listen to the voice anymore. The voice wasn't good.

"You can talk now, Emma dear," said Mordred dryly, "I'm getting rather bored."

"Where are we going?" she asked immediately.

"Some land up north. Canada, I believe it's called?"

She was so surprised he had actually answered her; it took her a while to digest the information. "Canada?" she shouted incredulously, turning to stare at him. The car swerved and Emma's eyes reverted back to the road.

"Yes, yes," he said nonchalantly. "You might want to keep your eyes on the road. I would prefer _not_ to die."

"Where in Canada?" she asked.

"How should I know? Do I look like I know anything of this world's geography? Just follow my directions and we'll be there."

Emma scowled, but didn't say anything until a little while later. "What exactly did he do to you?" she whispered quietly. "Why do you want to kill him so badly?"

Mordred stayed silent for a while before replying, "He killed my mother."

" _Merlin_ killed your _mother_?" she asked in shock. Out of everything, this was the one thing she was not expecting. Wasn't Merlin supposed to be, like, the epitome of goodness?

"You know," said the man, his voice dangerously quiet, "I don't think I want you to talk anymore."

Her mouth instantly sealed shut, as if it had a mind of its own and she could do nothing but focus on the road ahead of her. She didn't care if the Sorcerer had killed his mother. All she wanted to do right now was punch Mordred in the face.

 _His mother was killed by Merlin—he actually has a legitimate reason for revenge. Maybe his side is the right side?_

Emma's mind wandered to the 'deal' Regina had made with Mordred. She supposed it was a fair deal. The only problem was that Emma and Mordred would surely get there first, and Regina had said if they won then they could kill the Sorcerer. And Mordred would get to keep the dagger. Honestly, what was she thinking? An outlaw, a sorceress, a kid, a prince, and a pirate—the group was no match for a powerful magician and the Dark One. Would they really keep their end of the deal if they lost? Would they really let Mordred keep the dagger—let him control her for the rest of eternity?

 _Of course they will! If they don't manage to get the darkness out of you, they aren't going to want you. They'll be happy to leave you with Mordred!_

Emma thought of Hook in an attempt to rid her head of the voice. He had been after his revenge for hundreds of years, and he never got it. Gold had escaped unscathed and Killian had given up—he had given up on his revenge for _her_. She wondered how long Mordred had been after his revenge.

 _Do you really think the pirate gave up on vengeance for you? Do you really think anyone would do anything for you?_

Killian would do anything for her. He traded his ship for her.

 _Maybe, but that was back when you were the Saviour. You're not the Saviour anymore, are you? Nobody wants to love someone filled with so much darkness. Nobody wants to be near a monster._

She wasn't a monster.

 _You know you're a monster, you're just too afraid to admit it. You're scared._

She wasn't scared of anything.

 _We'll see about that when the rest of them get here. You're going to hurt them, and you know it._

That was where the voice was right. She was going to hurt them and she couldn't do anything about it. Nothing at all.

* * *

 **Please read and review :) It fuels the flames of my creativity!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and support!**

 **So, you know how Charming stabbed Hook in the back in the alternate reality? Well people are now calling it the 'Charming Stab'. If you remember, James was killed when he was stabbed in the back. So James was Charming stabbed! XD**

 **I don't know...I'm probably the only one who finds that funny.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

Regina was sandwiched in between Robin and Henry as they sped forward at faster than eighty-five miles per hour. She was surprised they hadn't been ticketed yet, or at least warned. The streets were pretty barren as they whizzed by—Regina expected to see at least a couple of cars, but there were none.

"How far ahead do you think they are?" asked Henry sadly. He was looking out of the window, a melancholy expression on his face. It was so different from the usual optimistic tone he had, so different from the excited boy who had changed her life—for the better.

"Hey," said Regina softly, laying a hand on his shoulder, "have hope. We'll get Emma back."

A smile slowly made its way onto Henry's face. "Thanks, Mom," he said quietly. She saw Robin grin from the corner of her eye.

"Where exactly are we going?" asked Hook from up front. "What even is a 'Canada'?"

"It's a different country," explained Regina. "Like America, but farther north. And colder."

"What the bloody hell is an America?"

Henry laughed at that and Regina sighed in exasperation. "Look," she said in irritation, "all you need to know is that Canada is where Merlin is. And we're going there."

Regina ignored the pirate and looked towards Henry. "Henry, where exactly in Canada are we going?"

"Northern Quebec," answered Henry.

"That's far, isn't it?" asked Robin. At least he knew enough about their world's geography—unlike a certain leather-clad pirate. She did not know what Emma saw in him.

"Yeah, it's several hours away," called David from the front.

"Well that's just great, isn't it," muttered Hook.

Regina threw him a dirty look and continued speaking quietly with Henry and Robin. The next two hours or so passed in relative silence, only a few words being heard here and there. What would happen if Mordred and Emma got there first? Would she really let them kill the Sorcerer—their only hope at ridding Emma of the darkness? Would she really let Mordred keep the dagger? No, she wouldn't. She knew that. She knew that both sides wouldn't hold true to the deal they made. Mordred would try to kill Merlin even if he lost the 'race'. They would try to free Emma of the dagger's control even if they lost—and they probably would at this rate.

Her cellphone rang and they all stared at her. Who would be calling her now? Regina met their uneasy stares and picked up the phone, raising it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello? Regina?"

"Mary Margaret? What's going on?" The woman on the other side of the line sounded frantic—almost scared.

"It's Zelena—"

"Zelena?" interrupted Regina incredulously. The stares of the others in the truck grew.

"Yes, Zelena," said Snow. Regina could tell she was slightly irked at being interrupted, but she couldn't help herself. What could possibly be happening with Zelena? Her half-sister was currently locked up in the mental ward of the hospital.

"She's giving you trouble?"

"No," muttered the other woman anxiously, "she's gone. She's not there anymore, she—"

"What the hell do you mean she's not there?" shouted Regina angrily. She saw Robin frown and noticed a look of worry cross his eyes.

"The witch is gone?" he whispered, gripping her hand tightly.

"She's escaped. We can't find her!" said Snow breathlessly.

"Where do you think she went?" she snapped.

"We don't know! Belle and I—we're trying to find her—but she could be anywhere! The last time anyone saw her was yesterday!"

"Great," sighed Regina, leaning back against the seat. "Exactly what we needed."

"I'm sorry," Snow said quietly, "I know how much she's done to you..."

"It's not your fault," whispered Regina wearily. "Just-just keep me notified on how things go. Tell me if you find her."

"I will," promised the brunette. With that, Regina hung up and stuffed the phone back into her pocket, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes.

"Regina?" asked Robin quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Zelena's escaped from her holding cell," she said tiredly. "They—Mary Margaret and Belle—they can't find her."

"Yeah, we kind of gathered that from what we could hear," said Hook dryly.

She saw Robin shoot the pirate a dirty look and then turn back to her. "It's alright," he said softly, "Zelena won't ever come between our love. I promise. And the baby—well, we'll figure that out when the time comes. For now, let's deal with one problem at a time."

Regina nodded and sighed. "For now."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

"I've decided to let you speak again."

"Good," she grumbled. Her knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel for so long and she stifled a yawn. How long had they been driving? It felt like hours had passed. "How much longer until we get there?" she asked him.

"We're about halfway," he said quietly. "We'll have to make a pit stop in about an hour."

"For what?"

"We're meeting an old friend of mine."

Emma raised her eyebrows but didn't push the subject. She would meet this mystery friend of his soon enough. She wasn't as angry with him as she had been before. Maybe it was the fact that Merlin had killed his mother. It just made him seem so much more _human_. But who knew? Perhaps his mother was an evil psychopath like him and she had deserved to die. She was still mad at him though.

"You know," said Mordred suddenly, "my mother's name was Morgause."

"Great, so now you're going to tell me you're whole life story?" groaned Emma dryly.

Mordred ignored her jibe and continued. "My father was Arthur."

At this, Emma took her eyes off the road and stared at him in shock. "Your father was _the_ King Arthur? The Excalibur guy?"

"Yes, the Excalibur guy," muttered the magician, snorting. "My mother was the sister of Morgan le Fay—you may have heard of her?"

Emma shrugged. Sure, she had heard of her before, but had never really had to time or interest to look deeper into who she was.

"And as you _should_ know, Morgan le Fay was Arthur's half-sister."

"Morgan le Fay was Arthur's half-sister? And your mother was Morgan le Fay's sister, so that means—"

"Yes," replied Mordred, "my mother was my father's half-sister."

"Gross!"

Mordred smirked and Emma saw him pull the dagger from his cloak and twirl it around like a baton. She felt an overwhelming desire to let go of the wheel and take the weapon from him right then and there. She needed it. It was rightfully hers—she _deserved_ that dagger. With it, she would be even more powerful. No commands restricting her—she could what she wanted. She could rule the entire world with her magic. Emma, attempting to be covert as possible, reached over in a desperate bid to grab the dagger from him. Unfortunately, he saw her coming.

"Ah, ah! No you don't, Emma!" he cried, pulling the dagger far from her reach. "You cannot take the dagger from me. Understand?"

She scowled but nodded, forced to accept the command.

"Merlin killed my mother simply because she was too powerful—he was afraid she would surpass him in magical ability," murmured Mordred quite suddenly. "I ask you, is that any reason to kill a woman? After all, he could just as easily kill _you_ for the same motives."

"Well, did she do anything wrong?" asked Emma sceptically. She found it hard to believe that the great Sorcerer killed someone just because they were too powerful.

"No!" shouted the man beside her. He sounded thoroughly offended.

"Find it hard to believe," she muttered quietly, "you know, if she was anything like you are. Was she a psychopath too?"

"You shut up," growled Mordred, his voice abruptly angry.

Her mouth snapped shut, like it was being held together by glue. She was internally fuming. She hated this. She hated every single second. What she wouldn't give to be completely free of his control—to govern her own actions instead of follow the orders of a twisted madman.

 _You should kill him as soon as you are free of his control—if you're ever free of his control._

Yes, she would most definitely kill him.

 _In a matter of hours, you'll be killing Merlin at his behest. You'll be killing the only man who could possibly free you from the darkness. It looks like you'll be stuck this way forever._

No, she couldn't stay like this forever. The voices in her head, the dark urges—it was driving her mad.

 _Stuck like this. No one to love you. No one to care for you. You'll be by yourself—you already are by yourself._

Emma wished she hadn't said what she had said. She wished he hadn't commanded her to stay quiet. She wished she were talking to Mordred right now. Talking helped keep her mind on the subject at hand. Talking kept the voice away.

 _Remember when you couldn't control your powers? Remember when everyone was afraid of you? Remember when you hurt your own son? It'll be just like that, except their will be nothing you can do to fix it. You'll be a monster forever._

Forever?

 _Yes, forever. And you will be helpless to control that darkness inside of you. It will rise up and envelop your being, obliterate everything good. Your heart will turn black._

That couldn't happen! She wouldn't let it.

 _There's nothing you can do to stop it. All you can do is embrace the darkness, welcome it. You're already craving power, aren't you? You want power. You want to control others, you want to kill them, and you want to make them suffer. You're already turning dark—faster than you realize. You just won't admit it._

The voice was right. She wouldn't deny it—she did want power. Being in the Land Without Magic—well, it made her feel helpless. Her magic didn't work outside of Storybrooke. Out here, she was only a regular nobody.

 _And you don't want to be a nobody, do you? You want to be somebody. Somebody people follow. Somebody people fear. Somebody people know not to cross._

Yes, she _did_ want that.

 _You'll get it all if you embrace the darkness. If you only learn to accept it—it's part of who you really are, after all._

Accept the darkness...she had never really considered that. All Emma had wanted was to get it out of her; defeat it forever. But she had never really thought of embracing it—only fighting it.

 _Fighting is so tiring, isn't it? You don't have to fight. You can become one, a mixture of light and dark. The darkness will overpower the light eventually, because that's simply what darkness does. But you don't have to worry about that. You can have everything you ever dreamed of._

Something inside of her told her it was wrong to be having these thoughts. She should be focusing on returning to the light and getting back to her family. But she couldn't help but listen to the insistent voice in her head.

 _Being the Saviour isn't everything. You can just as easily accomplish all your goals as the Dark One._

Yes, she could. The Dark One was much more powerful than the Saviour ever was and ever could be. She had to admit, she liked the power. She liked the feeling of having the world at her fingertips.

 _But if you seek to vanquish the darkness from inside of you, then your powers shall disappear as well. You'll have had a taste of something great, only to have it pulled away from you._

That was true. If they somehow pulled the darkness from her, they would take the powers as well. Ever since the black tendrils had entered her, she had felt the change immediately. She was smarter and better. Her powers were at least ten times stronger. Did she really want to lose all that?

 _Killing Merlin isn't so bad if you get to keep your improved magic, is it? After all, Merlin was the one who created the Dark One in the first place—he has indirectly put you through all this pain and suffering. According to Mordred, he killed a woman because he was afraid her magical abilities would surpass his. Maybe the Sorcerer deserves to die?_

Yes, perhaps he did deserve to die.

"Oh, Emma!" called a singsong voice. She hated that voice—she really did. "Pull over here—a friend of mine is going to join us for the ride."

Unable to speak, Emma sufficed for a glare. She looked outside the window and saw nothing but pine trees and dirt. Who in their right mind would meet a friend here? It was in the middle of nowhere! Although, she supposed Mordred wasn't exactly in his right mind.

She pulled over near the side of the road and got out of the car, Mordred right behind her. Unable to speak, Emma sent the magician a questioning look to which he replied, "She'll be here soon enough."

So it was a woman.

Emma counted ninety-three seconds before Mordred clapped his hands in delight and gestured to the woman now standing in front of them. If her mouth could open, Emma would have gasped.

"Glad to see you made it," chuckled the magician. "I'm surprised you made it actually!"

The woman in front of them smiled. "Of course I made it," she purred. She cackled and stared straight at Emma. "You know as well as I do, wicked _always_ wins."

* * *

 **Done! Like it? Please read and favourite and follow and review!**

 **I love Zelena actually. She's so deliciously wicked!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thank you for all the support! OUAT is officially scheduled to start on September 27th! Please review and follow and favourite!**

 **Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't.**

* * *

Chapter 18

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

Regina sat back in her seat. It had only been a few hours at most, but it felt like days had passed. She was impatient. Who knew how far ahead Emma and Mordred were? And to top it all off, there was the problem of the Wicked Witch escaping her holding cell. She really had enough to deal with already

There wasn't much said after that—there wasn't much else to say. "Mom?" said Henry, after a while.

"What is it?" She was weary, almost exhausted.

"The alternate reality—the one the Author wrote up for all of you. What was it like?"

Killian laughed, interrupting whatever Regina was about to say. She glared at him and replied, "It definitely wasn't normal."

"That's an understatement," muttered David under his breath. "I was an evil servant wearing guyliner."

"I take offense to that, mate!" shouted Hook suddenly.

Robin chuckled. "And I was going to marry the Wicked Witch of the West."

Henry smiled. "How long were you there for?"

Regina shrugged uncomfortably. "About two years before you came—of course, it felt like we had been there our entire lives—fake memories." It wasn't the best two years of her life either.

"Two years?" he shouted incredulously.

"Yeah," said Robin, "It really wasn't as bad as you'd think."

"You didn't have an Evil Queen after you, _and_ you were marrying the woman you thought was the love of your life," retorted Regina.

Robin shrugged helplessly. Regina's phone began ringing suddenly and they all glanced at her uneasily. Was it about Zelena? Had Belle and Mary Margaret found her?

She picked up and began talking immediately to the person on the end of the line. "Snow?"

"Regina..."

"Do you have news about Zelena?"

The brunette on the other end hesitated before replying. "Yes...we think she's left the town."

. "What? Why do you think so?"

"Feathers. We're assuming it's from one of her monkeys—we found them near the town line. There's been no trace of her inside town, so we're assuming she's gone out."

Regina sighed and spoke to her shortly about mayoral duties, then hung up. Well. Her life just got a lot harder.

"What happened?" asked Robin.

"It was Snow," said his mother promptly. "She told me she thinks Zelena has left town."

" _What_?" shouted Robin incredulously. "She's left? What makes Snow think so?"

"They found a feather from one of her monkeys near the town line. And since there's been no trace of her inside of town, it's best to assume that she's left."

"Where do you think the witch went?" asked Killian.

"I don't know," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I don't know where she went or even what she wants. Who knows, we might even run into her..."

She saw Robin look out the window as if expecting the Wicked Witch to swoop in right there and then. She really hoped she didn't. "Well, what are we going to do now?" he asked.

"Keep going, I guess," sighed Regina. "All we can do right now is keep going."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

If she could speak, Emma would be swearing like it was nobody's business. What was Zelena, of all people, doing _here_? How did she know Mordred? How did she get here?

The Wicked Witch smiled at her, showing off her gleaming white teeth. "My, my," she said, "I'd heard rumours, but I honestly found them hard to believe."

Emma glared at her.

"It's quite funny, actually! The Saviour turned dark!"

She could only glare even more.

"And you're still wearing the same outfit," mocked Zelena, eyeing her red leather jacket and boots (Mordred had given her time to change before they had left Storybrooke).

"You can talk now, Emma," said Mordred sardonically, "I really would like to hear your reaction."

"What the hell are you doing here?" she exploded. "Why aren't you locked up back in the mental hospital?"

Zelena pouted. "That's not a very nice way to greet an old friend, is it?" she said sadly.

"Some 'old friend'," snorted Emma, glowering at the witch. "How did you escape? You can't use your magic and you're pregnant."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," drawled Zelena. "I still have some loyal monkeys out there—they're always happy to help."

"Do you even know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Now, now ladies," said Mordred, interrupting their argument. "Let's all be civil here."

"Hard to do with her. It's obvious why Cora chose Regina over her. She must have been a little witch even when she was a baby."

"Watch it, _Dark One_ ," sneered the witch, narrowing her eyes. "Or I might just take that dagger—and you don't want to know what I would make you do then."

"And she won't ever know," Mordred said simply. "Because the dagger is mine and you, I'm afraid, will find it quite difficult, if not impossible, to take."

Zelena rolled her eyes and gestured to Emma's yellow bug. "Well, are we going or not? I was under the impression we had a time limit?"

"Yes, yes," murmured the magician under his breath and strode over to the car to sit in the passenger seat. Emma shot one final glare at Zelena before entering the car herself and fishing out the keys from her pocket. Once they were all settled in, she turned the ignition and they were off—a magician, the Dark One, and the Wicked Witch all settled cozily in her car. It sounded strange even to think about it.

"So, Emma, how does it feel to be the new Dark One?" called Zelena from the back. Emma could tell the woman was smirking, even though she couldn't see her face—she knew that she was trying to aggravate her. She decided not to dignify Zelena's question with an answer.

The witch sighed when Emma didn't respond and leaned back in her seat. "So I'm assuming the transformation isn't fully complete."

"Yes," replied Mordred, "she still has a long way to go before she is truly the Dark One."

"You know I'm right here," snapped Emma.

Mordred looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You might want to show some respect. After all, you don't want me to take away your speech again, do you? I _know_ you don't like that—when your mind has nothing to distract itself...when it's left to its own devices..."

Emma's blood ran cold. He couldn't possible know about the voice in her head, could he? It had only appeared once she had become the Dark One—maybe it was something all of them had to experience.

 _Something to push you over the edge. Something to destroy the light._

There it was. The voice was back.

 _Succumb to the darkness. You know there isn't any other way._

Emma shook her head and she spoke in an attempt to rid the voice from her mind. "You still haven't told me where in Canada we're going."

"Does it matter?" huffed Mordred. "Just do what I say. Oh wait—you have no choice."

Emma fumed silently and focused on driving forwards. Who did he think he was to speak to her like that? She wished she could kill him, right there and then. But she couldn't because the damn dagger was her weakness, and as was anyone who possessed it —in this case, Mordred.

Barely half an hour had passed before she had to pull over again. The car was dangerously low on gas and Mordred would freak if it stalled in the middle of the road. Her plan was originally to let it run out of gas so they couldn't get anywhere, but Mordred had caught on and instantly ordered her to stop at the nearest gas station so they could fill up. She cursed herself for looking at the meter so often—if she hadn't, then maybe the magician wouldn't have noticed. Maybe the others could have caught up with them. So she came up with an alternate plan: to take as long at the gas station as possible.

"Hurry up," grunted Mordred as she opened the door to get out.

"I'm hurrying," she grumbled, not meaning a word of what she said. She took a good long time staring at the numbers and buttons, pressing them randomly.

"What's taking you so long?" snapped Zelena.

"Filling up a car tank is actually a very complicated process," she replied irritably.

Emma saw Mordred roll his eyes and lift the dagger to his lips. "Fill up the tank. Now."

She wasn't expecting that. Unfortunately, she had to do what he said. "I kind of need money to pay for it," she growled.

Mordred sighed rather over-dramatically and fished through his pockets, pulling out a large golden coin. As Emma examined it, she realized that his face was right in the middle of the gold surface—on both sides. Great. As if the world needed multiple pictures of this man. "It has your face on it," she said bluntly.

Zelena laughed and the magician replied snappishly, "Of course it does! Did you expect me to keep the regular Arthurian currency when I became king? It had Arthur's face on it, for god's sake!"

"You know," said Emma snidely, "technically I'm the ruler of Camelot now. I did defeat you."

Mordred glared at her. "Well, now I've defeated you," he snapped, "making me the rightful king again."

Emma's thoughts turned dark. How dare he say that? No one defeated her. She didn't like being defeated. The magician would surely pay the price later on. "This money won't work," she retorted, tossing the coin back. "You need actual American currency—a MasterCard or credit card or something."

"I'm assuming he has none of these 'cards' you speak of," drawled Zelena. "Just break the machine."

"I can't do that!"

"Sure you can—weren't you a petty thief a couple of years ago?"

"Yeah, but the machine won't give me gas if I break it! And—wait, how do you even _know_ that?"

"I know things, darling! Why don't you simply use one of your thieving skills to get some of this fuel?"

"It's harder than it looks!"

"Wait," snarled Mordred, interrupting their quarrel. He gestured towards the person in front of them—a young man who was currently sliding his credit card into the machine. "He's paying the machine money, isn't he?" continued the magician, "So why don't you simply wait for him to pay and swipe the tube—use it to fill up yours instead."

Zelena looked impressed and Mordred was smiling smugly.

"And how do I do that?" she said dryly.

The magician shrugged. "Create a distraction, feed your automobile or whatever it's called, and then we can be off." He snarled suddenly. "I command you to do it."

Emma grimaced and made her way up to the man, her mind racing. She had seen a woman exit the man's car and make her way to the store near them a few minutes ago. Was she his wife? Emma could tell the woman had been pregnant...maybe she could use that against him somehow. "Hello?"

. "Er...hello," he said. "Can I help you?"

"Um...there's a woman inside the convenience store. She asked me to come and get you." She utilized her acting skills and placed an agitated expression upon her face.

"My wife?" he asked, suddenly alert. So she was his wife. Well that made things a lot easier. It looked like she was pregnant with his child too.

"Yes, your wife," replied Emma. "She needs you right now. She says it's an emergency—with the baby."

Emma prided herself on adding the baby part. The man suddenly looked panicked and he rushed to the store without a second thought. She wasted no time in grabbing pump and inserting it into her own car behind the man's car. She could see Mordred smiling and she frowned. She really hated doing this—he had seemed like a nice man.

The gas was filled in no time. She took the pump out of the car and made haste in putting it back on the machine. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Hey! Stop! Thief!"

Crap.

Emma turned to run but not before she felt a hand clamp around her wrist. She looked back to see the man she had duped staring at her with anger in his eyes. "Let me go!" she shouted, attempting to yank her hand out of his grip.

"No," he growled.

Emma looked back to see Zelena and Mordred sitting calmly in her car. Weren't they going to do anything? Her anger grew until her vision was only a haze of black. She was angry with all of them. Everyone. "Let me go," she hissed, each word emanating with fury.

"Tom..." called a voice softly. It was his wife. She was looking at Emma in fear and her hand was clutching her stomach.

"No, she's not going to get away with this," snarled the man—Tom. "Crooks like her don't deserve to walk away unscathed."

Emma felt anger rise up within her, fury more powerful than ever before. She wouldn't be stopped by this common man. He was nothing compared to her. Absolutely nothing. She whipped her hand out and sparks erupted from her fingertips. For a moment, she was shocked. Magic couldn't be used in the outside world, could it? Wasn't it called the 'Land Without Magic' for a reason? But she got over her shock—it was quickly replaced rage.

She plunged her hand in his chest, ignoring his wife's horrified shouts. She gripped the heart and pulled it out within seconds, gazing at the beating red organ in her hands. The young man stared at her with horror in his eyes. Something inside of her asked her what the hell she was doing, but it was small. Nothing compared to the overwhelming anger.

Emma smirked at the man and squeezed the beating heart, crushing it to dust. He choked and fell to his knees, gripping his chest. He was dead within seconds. Emma smiled. She could hear shouts from the store, but she couldn't care less about them. Her thoughts were interrupted as a command rang in her head. Mordred was summoning her back to the car.

She growled in annoyance and looked back at the couple one last time. She smirked as she saw his wife shaking him frantically and heard her wails. Emma made her way back to the car and shut the door behind her, ignoring Mordred's smile.

It didn't hit her until they were well on their way again. What had she done? _What had she done_? This wasn't something Mordred had commanded her to do. This was something she had done completely of her own will. Emma's eyes widened and she began shaking. She had killed someone! What had she done?

That was when she saw the scales creeping up her arms.

And she laughed.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks again for all the support and feedback :) This fic definitely isn't going to go longer than 25 chapters, I'll probably finish it soon!**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to Adam and Eddy**

* * *

Chapter 19

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

The refuelling station was a wreck. Killian didn't yet understand the whole concept of 'gas' yet, but he knew it was sort of like food for automobiles that helped them keep moving. He didn't want to stop, but the fuel was running low and they had no choice.

Once they pulled into the 'gas station' as Regina had called it, they had found a crowd of people gathered around something—or someone. He got out of the truck along with the others and made his way towards the crowd, careful to hide his Hook (as Henry had put it, people would 'freak' if they saw it).

"What's going on?" called David, craning his neck to see over the crowd. Killian could hear heavy sobbing and urgent shouts.

"There was an accident," answered a man near them gravely. "Someone died."

"What?" said Regina. "How?"

"We think he was killed," he replied. "His wife keeps talking about some blonde woman pulling his heart out and crushing it. She's most likely delirious from the grief."

Killian's eyes met David's. Regina looked uneasy and Henry seemed slightly frightened. Emma—she had killed this man. He thought magic couldn't be used in this land? Had Mordred commanded her to do it, or had she...no, Mordred must have forced her.

"Poor woman," sighed the man after a while. "She's pregnant too, you know?"

"That's terrible," murmured Regina.

"How long ago did this happen?" asked Robin.

"Not long," the man muttered. "Only half an hour at most. It's strange...he doesn't have a mark on his body. He looks perfectly healthy, except for the fact that he's dead." Killian shuddered. The dead man's wife was still sobbing brokenly and he couldn't help but think it was Emma who had caused this. No...it wasn't Emma. It was Mordred. Anger rose within him as he thought of the magician. He was responsible for so much suffering. He was responsible for leaving a child fatherless.

"We have to go," he hissed, not waiting for any of them to reply before making his way back to the truck. David filled the gas up within a minute and they were off. No one really spoke. They were shrouded in a dark sort of silence. Killian knew from experience that it wasn't so easy to escape the darkness once you had started down that path. Even if Emma didn't kill the man of her free will, it still encouraged the darkness inside her. Sure, she had killed Cruella before, but that was simply to save her son. Cruella was evil—nothing could change that. But this man was going to be a father! He had a wife!

"Regina," said Robin after a while, "I thought you needed magic to pull someone's heart out."

"You do," answered Regina grimly.

"And isn't this the Land Without Magic?"

"Well," sighed the queen, "it seems like Emma's magic is different. Saviour magic mixed with dark magic—that's got to have some interesting side effects."

"And can't Merlin use magic here as well?" piped up Henry. "Otherwise those 'strange sightings' would have never have happened, right?"

"Well, he is the great Sorcerer," grumbled Regina. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's found a loophole. For now, it's definitely not a good thing Emma can use her magic at all. It places both us and her in even greater danger. She could even use it to get to Merlin faster."

Killian lurched as the truck suddenly moved faster. He glanced at David who had an unreadable expression on his face, his foot now pressed harder on the gas pedal. Minutes had passed when the man screeched to a stop and Killian nearly bumped his head against the glass.

"What the hell was that?" snapped Regina.

"Her," said David simply, staring straight ahead through the front window. Killian followed his gaze and saw a woman standing right in front of their truck. He was instantly entranced by her flowing black locks and pale face but shook it off quickly. Her black curls were replaced with blonde ones and her eyes flashed a sea green. He had had only too many experiences with woman like her in Neverland. She reminded him of the sirens—their eerie voices and deceitful beauty leading unsuspecting fishermen (and pirates) to their doom.

"Snap out of it!" hissed the former Evil Queen. Killian was quick to respond and so was David, but Robin took a little while longer. Henry didn't seem too interested in the woman, but his cheeks had taken on a light blush.

They exited the truck, as much as he would have liked to continue on. "Who are you?" called Robin, his eyes cloudy with mistrust.

"I am known by many names," said the woman simply. Her voice was as sweet honey, yet as deadly as poison. "I prefer Morgan, though. Morgan le Fay."

Morgan le Fay...Killian had heard of her somewhere, though he couldn't quite place where. She seemed to be of royal descent—she held herself high, and her jewellery and clothing only convinced him of his theory.

"You," hissed Regina.

"The Evil Queen? My, you've changed. I must say, I preferred your old choice of clothing."

He knew Regina had known Merlin, but he had never heard of her having any affiliation with this woman. He only hoped Regina hadn't managed to make an enemy of her as well; otherwise they would have another problem to deal with.

"Why are you here?" asked David harshly.

"I'm here to find Merlin. Isn't that what everyone's after these days?" she drawled.

"How did you get here?" asked Regina. "I was under the impression you were in Camelot—banished from the kingdom in fact."

Morgan shrugged. "I managed. I sensed a weakening between worlds and grabbed the opportunity."

"You mean when I wrote up the portal it helped you get here too?" said Henry.

"I have no patience for _children_ ," hissed the enchantress. She flicked her hand and Henry disappeared the next moment, as if he had never been there. The rest of them attacked her in outrage, Regina at the front.

"What the hell did you do to my son?" she growled.

"I simply sent him back home," said Morgan, smiling wickedly. "Children are nuisances."

Regina scowled, her eyes burning with anger. David looked as if he was about to punch the woman in the face and Killian very much wanted to do the same thing. Not taking her eyes of the enchantress, the brunette took her talking device out of her pocket and began dialling a number—he assumed it was someone at Storybrooke.

"Hello? Snow? Is Henry there?"

Killian stared at the former Evil Queen with abated breath.

"Really?" She glanced up at the rest of them and nodded once. "Okay, tell him we're fine. I have to go—we have a bit of a...er...problem."

Morgan raised her eyebrows.

"No, nothing you have to worry about. Not with Emma." Regina sighed. "We're fine, I promise. Goodbye."

She hung up and slipped the phone back into her jacket. "Interesting creation," mused Morgan, gesturing to the device in Regina's pocket. "I have to say, this world is certainly interesting."

"You're lucky Henry is safe," hissed Regina. "Now what do you want with us?"

"I simply want to join you," she answered. "Finding Merlin is my goal as well, and journeying with me would be much to your advantage. My magic can be used here, and you cannot seem to be able to use yours, is that correct?"

Killian saw Regina glare at the woman. These two had a past—that much, he was certain of. "What could you possibly gain by journeying with us?" he asked.

Regina nodded and Morgan's gaze turned towards him. He saw her briefly glance down at his hook and then stare straight into his eyes. "I don't know this world, do I?" she said softly. "And you all seem to be experienced veterans in this strange land. We both benefit by accompanying each other."

"How can we trust you?" asked David warily.

She shrugged. "You can't." A strangled laugh escaped Regina's throat and Killian felt a hint of unease. They had just met this woman and yet he felt as if she was one of his vilest enemies. There was something about the air around her—something dark, something he could quite place. "But," continued Morgan, "I would advise you to accept my offer."

"Don't," hissed Killian.

Regina glanced at Morgan wearily and gestured for them all to come closer and talk. "Look," she whispered, "as much as I hate it, she might be right."

"Her magic could be useful," murmured Robin.

"I don't trust her," said David bluntly.

"I'm with Dave," agreed Killian. "We don't know who she is, or why she wants to find the Sorcerer in the first place."

"But if we do want to get to the Sorcerer before Mordred, she's our best bet," argued Regina. "I don't like her any more than you do—in fact, I like her even less—but right now she could be the only chance we have."

Killian hesitated. There was something off about the enchantress. But then again, maybe she could help them save Emma faster? Something inside of him was telling him over and over not to trust the strange woman. Something was going to happen—something they would regret if they let her come with them. For once, he listened to the feeling inside of him and resolutely shook his head. No. If they were going to get Emma back, then it would have to be without Morgan le Fay. "No," he said firmly.

David looked at him regretfully. "Hook...I'm sorry, but I think Regina might be right."

"We can't trust her!" he argued. "Listen to me, mate. I can tell."

Robin shook his head. "But what choice do we have if she is perhaps our only way of reaching Merlin before the others?"

"Robin's right," agreed Regina. "Sorry, Hook. It's three to one."

"But—"

"Please," said David softly, "it might be our only chance to get Emma back."

He hesitated. "Fine." He still didn't like it, but he also knew that the enchantresses' magic could help them. But that didn't mean he would trust her—he would keep a close eye on her, for now.

Regina gestured for Morgan to join them and she strode over, staring down at them condescendingly. It only made Killian hate her more. "Well?" she asked.

"You can come with us," said Regina.

"Excellent!"

"But—"

"But?"

"But there are conditions."

Morgan pouted.

"You are not to do anything without asking us first. And...you have to tell us why you want to find Merlin."

"You strike a hard bargain, darling," purred the enchantress. "Oh well, I can tell you. You see, Merlin used to be my master, my teacher if you will. He taught me everything I know—even how to use my magic in places without magic, hence why I am powerful here. He disappeared a while ago and I simply want to find him—the bond between master and pupil is strong, you know as well as I do, Regina."

Regina narrowed her eyes, and so did Killian for that matter. He sensed that she was not telling the entire truth. "So you're going to find the Sorcerer because you miss him?" asked David sceptically.

"Something like that," she smiled. "We have much to...ah...catch up on."

Regina cast a glance at the rest of them and Killian stared back for a few moments before nodding briefly. He may not like it, but it seemed to be the only possible option at the moment. Regina scowled and gestured to Morgan.

"Get in the truck."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma was smiling and she didn't know why.

Was she _happy_ that she had just killed that man? He was an innocent—a soon to be father, and she had killed him like it was nothing. She had crushed his heart and watched him die in front of her eyes. He had people who cared about him. She had probably broken his wife's heart. She had condemned his child to live a life without a father.

 _Maybe he deserved to die?_

That wasn't true. No one deserved to die, no matter what.

 _But he insulted you! He grabbed you! No one treats you like that._

The voice was right. No one treated her like that. Mordred had done far worse than the man could ever have. She would kill him. But she wouldn't crush his heart. No, that was too nice of a fate for such a man. She would make sure he died in a much more painful way.

Zelena and Mordred were happy, she could tell. Why were they happy? Emma stared down at her hands clutching the steering wheel. Her skin was scaly and pale, and she knew she should be panicked, even scared. But at this point, she really didn't care. Maybe succumbing to the darkness was for the best?

"How much longer?" asked Zelena impatiently.

"A few hours," replied Mordred.

"Why don't you get her to magic us over there?"

Emma could feel Mordred's eyes on her and she shivered, but didn't break her gaze from the road. "She _can_ use magic in this land," mused the magician. "Maybe she should give it a try."

"No," she scowled.

"Very well," sighed Mordred, lifting the dagger. "I command you to take us to Merlin."

Emma felt the familiar tug and her body automatically moved to follow the order. She pulled over to the side of the road and lifted her hands. Sparks were already beginning to form on the edges of her fingertips, singing the steering wheel.

"I can't bring us there unless I know where Merlin is," she hissed.

"Diana Bay, I believe. Northern Quebec."

"That's helpful," she sneered, "I've never been there. I don't even know what the place looks like."

Mordred sighed and pulled out a map from the glove compartment. "Here," he said, jabbing his finger at an area near the top. "Take us here."

"I'm not sure I can," she said, the anger in her voice fading slightly, replaced with uncertainty.

The magician pulled out another sheet of paper. This one contained a picture—a fairly large area filled with trees. There was a small cottage overlooking the bay. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any sign of human activity. "Here's something that may help you. It is where I believe Merlin is currently residing."

"How do you know?"

"Just bring us there," he snarled, lifting the dagger to his lips.

She glared at him and closed her eyes, envisioning the forested area in her mind. Emma focused on the car, imagining it disappearing from their current position at the side of the road and then reappearing near the bay. There was a sharp tug in her gut and a brief pain rocketed through her body. She heard a loud thump and opened her eyes just in time to stop them from falling off a cliff. The car seemed to have materialized right next to the Sorcerer's cottage and was now dangerously hanging off the edge of the precipice. She geared the car in reverse and drove until they were well away from any danger of falling off.

"You nearly killed us!" hissed Zelena indignantly.

"I got us here, didn't I?" replied Emma dryly.

The witch didn't reply, but Emma could tell she was rolling her eyes. Now that the threat of imminent danger was over, it left her to marvel at her own magic. She must have transported them at least a hundred miles! But the euphoria wore off quickly. They won the race; they got here before the others. They would have to kill Merlin—or rather _she_ would have to kill Merlin. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing? Maybe the Sorcerer deserved it? After all, it was indirectly his fault that she was the Dark One in the first place. She had already killed two people; a third didn't matter so much, did it?

Mordred opened the door and promptly exited the car, gesturing for her to follow. Emma got out and locked the car behind her, taking a moment to close her eyes and breathe in the fresh air—before she had to kill someone. When she opened her eyes again, she nearly fell over in shock as she saw the group of people standing in front of her.

It seems they had not won the race after all.

* * *

 **Haha yeah I just got rid of Henry...don't worry, he's safe back in Storybrooke :)**

 **Now the whole group is outside of Merlin's place—Zelena, Mordred, Emma, Regina, Robin, David, Killian, and Morgan. That CAN'T be a good mix...**

 **Please review and follow and favourite! It really brightens my day!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! :) I won't be able to update this week since I'm going away, but this chapter will hopefully make up for it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

"Emma!"

No. No. No. They couldn't be here. How did they even get here? Her eyes scanned the group assembled before her: Robin, Regina, David, Hook, and some woman. Emma felt an irrational tinge of jealousy—the woman was standing too close to Killian for her liking. Who was she? A sudden thought struck her—didn't Henry leave with them too? Where was he?

"Where is my son?" she hissed, stalking closer.

"It's okay, love," said Hook softly, "He's safe back in Storybrooke."

She stared at him. His eyes drilled right through her, not moving. Emma felt the sudden urge to hide her hands from him. What would he think when he saw the scales? Would he fear her then? What if he had already seen them? "Swan," murmured the pirate, stepping closer. She reached toward him, her arm trembling. He held her in his grasp. She realized he didn't care about the scales. He didn't care if she was turning dark. He cared that she was here with him.

Regina's incredulous shout broke her out of her trance. "Zelena?"

Emma snapped her gaze off Hook's face and turned to look at the witch. Saying that Zelena seemed happy was an understatement—she was positively beaming. "Hello, Sis."

"What the hell are you doing here?" hissed the former Evil Queen.

"Not happy to see me?" pouted Zelena. "Mordred's an old friend of mine, you see. He helped me out a while back, so of course I agreed to aid him when he asked. And I absolutely couldn't miss the opportunity to see the _Saviour_ as the Dark One!"

"Okay!" said Mordred, clapping his hands. "As sweet as all this 'family bonding' is, I think it's time for some excitement!" The magician raised the dagger to his lips and Emma felt the familiar tug as he commanded her to come back to them. She stiffly walked back, wrenching her hand out of Killian's grasp.

"Give us the dagger!" shouted her father, moving closer.

"How about no?" sneered Mordred. "Okay, Emma. These people are beginning to annoy me. Get rid of them now."

She struggled against the dagger's hold, but it was no use. It controlled her every move, and she couldn't stop it. Emma raised her hands. They were already sparking with dark power, as if the magic couldn't wait to be free of her body. The blast of power escaped her palms before she could even think of stopping it, heading straight towards the ones she loved most. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what happened next.

Nothing happened.

There was no scream of pain, no thud of a body falling to the ground, nothing. She cracked her eyes open, surprised at what lay ahead. The strange woman with the jet-black hair was in front of her, countering Emma's magic with her own. So she wasn't the only one who could use her powers in the Land Without Magic.

"Kill her," snarled Mordred, his eyes narrowing. He knew the woman—that much Emma was certain of.

She pushed harder, clenching her teeth and narrowing her eyes. As much as her mind was screaming at her not to, her body increased its power tenfold. This woman would die.

"You wouldn't kill your own aunt, would you?" panted the woman, staring right at Mordred. His aunt? Emma remembered him telling her something about his family but she couldn't be bothered to recall the names he gave her.

"Oh, don't underestimate me, _Morgan,_ " hissed the magician. Morgan...she had heard that before. Morgan le Fay? Emma saw the enchantress falter slightly and grit her teeth. She was getting weaker—Emma was winning. One more burst of power and the woman would be dead.

The tug in her gut suddenly faded and Emma lowered her hands, surprised. Morgan staggered and sunk to the ground, breathing heavily. The woman's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed, the faint rise and fall of her chest being the only indication she was still alive. There was only one possible way Emma could have resisted the command. The dagger's hold had been relinquished—she could feel it. She looked back to see Mordred clutching his arm, the dagger lying forgotten on the ground. The magician was glaring angrily at Hook—the pirate had evidently thrown something at him.

Without a second thought, Emma rushed towards the weapon, intent on holding it in her grasp. It was _hers._ It belonged to her, and no one else. A hand closed around the dagger, but it was not hers. It was Zelena. Emma screeched to a stop, glaring at the witch. "Give me the dagger," she hissed, permeating each word with fury.

"No!" she cackled.

"Zelena!" snarled a voice. It was Mordred. He came closer, reaching his hand out tentatively. "Hand it over."

"No!" shouted Regina. "Don't give it to him. Let us have it."

Zelena sneered at them. "How about I don't give it to _any_ of you." The witch lifted the dagger. "You know, Regina," continued the ginger-haired woman, "I don't think you deserve a happy ending."

"What are you—"

"If I don't get one, you don't get one either," snarled the witch. She raised the dagger to her lips. "Dark One, I command you to kill Robin Hood."

Regina looked at her in horror, but Emma knew she had to do it. She moved forward, blasting the former Evil Queen out of the way when she tried to interfere. Her hand shot out and the outlaw rose into the air, frantically clutching at the invisible hands around his throat. Emma squeezed.

"No!" growled a voice. The next thing she knew, Emma had been tackled to the ground with an angry Regina on top of her. Anger boiled up inside of her. Who did the woman think she was attacking the Dark One like that? She pushed outwards and Regina went flying back again. The command was still her top priority. She had to kill Robin, as much as she didn't want to.

Emma stalked towards the outlaw, who now lay panting on the ground. She heard shouts and turned to see the rest of her friends and family rushing to aid Robin. "Detain them," commanded Zelena.

She scowled and thrust her hands out, forming a magical barrier around herself and Robin. They tried to get through, but it was to no avail. Her magic was too powerful for them. She continued advancing forwards, trying to ignore the pleading expression on Robin's face.

"Zelena, please!" shouted Regina. Emma saw her approach the witch, but paid no heed. All she could focus on right now was the frightened man on his knees in front of her.

"He will die," snarled the witch, "you will lose your happy ending, just as I have lost mine!"

"Think of the baby!" pleaded the Regina as Emma thrust her hand inside of Robin's chest. She pulled out the heart and gazed at it in her fingers. It was completely red, not a single speck of black discolouring it. Shame to kill someone so pure.

"Please! You can't kill him!" Regina's voice was on the edge of desperation.

Emma squeezed and the outlaw clenched his eyes shut, clutching his chest.

"Don't do it for me. Do it for your unborn child. It will grow up fatherless!" Regina's voice grew softer and more controlled. Emma squeezed harder. "Do you really want that for your own baby? Do you really want it to grow up as you did? You never had a proper father, Zelena. No one to guide you and no one to care for you. Do you want the same fate for your child?"

"My child will have a mother!" shouted the witch angrily. "That's all it needs." Emma tried to resist, but the pain only increased. Her grip on the heart eased slightly, but then tightened just as fast. Sweat was pouring down her forehead in rivulets. She didn't want to kill him. If she killed him, her entire sacrifice would be in vain—Regina's happy ending would be destroyed.

"Every child needs a father," hissed Regina, "A protector, a playmate, a teacher, a companion, a trainer, a friend...do you really want your baby to grow up without one?"

"Stop," said Zelena quietly. Emma's hold on the heart lessened and she heard Robin sigh in relief. "Put the heart back in his chest." The witch's voice hitched slightly, as if she was on the edge of either crying or killing everyone around her.

Emma cast Robin an apologetic glance and thrust her hand back inside of his chest, relinquishing her hold on his heart. She ripped out her arm from his body and let the barrier around them fall. She saw Regina rush towards them and help Robin to his feet. Killian approached her too and attempted to touch her, but she moved back. No. She couldn't be near them right now.

There was a sudden shriek and Emma whipped around, only to see Zelena lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Mordred stood triumphantly above her, the dagger in his possession once more. Emma cursed herself—she should have grabbed it when she had the chance.

"Enough of this," he snapped, raising the dagger to his lips. "We are here to kill Merlin, and nothing else. Come."

Emma had no choice but to trail unwillingly behind him.

"Wait!" shouted Killian. "You said if we won the race, then you wouldn't kill the Sorcerer! You would give us the dagger!"

Mordred turned around. "Did I say that?" he sneered. "Well, here's the thing. I don't keep my deals unless I win." He turned back towards the cottage and stalked to the door, Emma following him. At his command, she cast another barrier around the small house, forbidding anyone from entering. Now it was only she, Mordred, and Merlin.

"Now," hissed the magician, "let's go destroy the Sorcerer."

* * *

 **REGINA POV**

* * *

Regina stared as Emma vanished into the cottage, the door slamming shut behind her. They needed to go after her—they couldn't let her kill the Sorcerer. The barrier she had cast was too powerful for any non-magical person to get past. That left only one option: Morgan le Fay.

Regina strode over to the unconscious woman and shook her roughly. She blearily blinked open her eyes and stood in a matter of moments, shaking herself off. "The Dark One is stronger than she appears," hissed the enchantress. "She will pay. As will Mordred for that matter."

"Emma's on our side," said Regina firmly. "You are not going to hurt her, understand? It was only at Mordred's command that she attacked you."

Regina had seen the scales creeping up Emma's arms. She knew that if they didn't do something soon, the former Savioiur would be beyond the point of return. Emma would begin to relish the darkness inside of her—she wouldn't want to get rid of it so soon.

Morgan scowled and glared at her. "What are you going to do with her?" she asked, gesturing to the Wicked Witch still lying unmoving on the floor.

"I don't know," sighed Regina. "Right now, I need you to get that barrier down."

"I'll work on it. It may take a few minutes," drawled the enchantress.

"Well, work faster then."

"Regina!" called Hook from a little ways off. "How long will it take to get inside?"

"It'll take her a few minutes."

She saw the pirate look down in agitation and then sigh. "We," he said, gesturing to David and Robin beside him, "think it's time to tell us how you know the Sorcerer."

Regina stared at them and her eyes met Robin's. He had almost died right in front of her eyes. She didn't think she could handle it if he had died. Finally, after decades of loneliness, she had found someone—her true love, in fact. If he had been ripped away from her, she didn't know what she would do. "Fine," she said quietly. Not for Hook and not for David—but for Robin.

"Well, go on," prompted Hook. "We only have so much time before le Fay takes the barrier down."

She sighed. "It was back when I was the Evil Queen. Merlin was currently in Enchanted Forest—I had studied with him for a while, in fact. That's where I met Morgan le Fay too. She was his apprentice. When Merlin heard about the curse I was going to cast, he wanted to stop it. He was becoming a nuisance, so we—Gold and I—decided to get rid of him."

"Couldn't Gold have just asked Merlin to remove the Dark One's curse if he had met him before? We could have avoided this entire thing!" interrupted David.

"Rumpelstiltskin liked the power. He wouldn't so easily give up being the Dark One. Besides, the two weren't exactly friends." Regina hesitated before continuing. "We managed to open up a portal back to Camelot and trick him into going through. The Sorcerer was angry—you should have seen him. Right before he fell into the portal, he threw a curse at me."

"What kind of curse?" asked Robin.

"He-he said that as long as he lived I would never truly get my happy ending."

"And you never told us?" cried Robin incredulously.

"I'm not exactly an open person," snapped Regina. "After a while, you came, and I thought the curse had somehow faded away. Or maybe Merlin had died. But then you had to leave Storybrooke. And my half-sister turned out to be pregnant with your child. I thought the Author could somehow break the curse, but it didn't exactly work out that way..." Regina faltered. "And then, a few minutes ago, when you almost...I thought I would lose you!"

"Regina," said Robin sadly, "you won't lose me. I don't care about the curse, I don't care if the Sorcerer is alive or not, all I care about is now. I'm here right now, and so are you. I swear to you, you will get your happy ending. Understand?"

Regina nodded. She looked into his eyes and he looked back. They were hypnotized, briefly in their own little world.

"I hate to interrupt," called Morgan, "but the barrier's down."

She blinked once and wasted no time in joining the Enchantress at the door to the cottage. The rest joined her within seconds, Hook leading the way. "Come one," she called, "we've got a Sorcerer to find. He can get the darkness out of Emma and everything can go back to normal."

Hook stared at her gravely, biting his lip. "Unless he's already dead."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the wait—I hope this chapter makes up for it! I only got two reviews for the last chapter so I'm wondering if you guys are still liking this...?**

 **Disclaimer: If you could buy stocks for TV, then I would happily own 1/1000000 of OUaT. Unfortunately, you can't...so until then, I don't own a thing.**

* * *

Chapter 21

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

Killian stepped over the threshold, holding his breath all the while, questions swimming in his head. Would they find Merlin here? Would they prevail? Or would they fail? Would Emma remain the Dark One forever? He would grow old and she would remain young, forever immortal. He didn't want that fate for her—he didn't want her to be forever fighting off the darkness, didn't want her to live her life alone while everyone around her passed.

His ears suddenly pricked up as he heard noises from the other room. He gestured for the others to follow him silently and crept forwards through the hallway. The element of surprise was on their side. Killian stuck his head out from behind the doorframe, careful not to let Mordred or Emma see him or the others. If they could get to Merlin before them, then maybe the stood a slight chance.

The voices stopped suddenly and he heard footsteps. Careful not to knock anything over, he gestured for the others to follow him as he moved towards the slightly louder footsteps. They caught up with the mystery person in no time, and Killian glimpsed a curl of what appeared to be Mordred's shaggy hair.

"I was wondering when you'd arrive," snickered the magician, surprising them all. "You might as well come out from behind there."

Killian stepped out from behind the doorframe, glaring at the magician in front of him. It seemed as if Emma wasn't with him, meaning they had the upper hand. Mordred was only one man without magic, whereas they were many and had the help of an Enchantress.

"Where's Emma?" he asked sharply.

"I've sent her to find the Sorcerer," said Mordred curtly.

"You shouldn't have done that," snarled Regina. "Now you have no one to hide behind." Killian saw Morgan le Fay smirk beside him and raise her hands, as if she was preparing to blast the magician into oblivion.

"I may not have magic," Mordred sneered, "but the man who lives here does. And I happen to have been here slightly longer than you have."

David raised an eyebrow. "So...?" Killian exchanged uncertain glances with David and Robin. What exactly was he getting at?

"So, Prince _Charming_ ," growled the magician, "I have had time to discover some of the...ah...defences Merlin has placed on this house."

Morgan seemed to get what he was saying before any of them. "Get out of the way!" she screamed, just as Mordred reached out with his foot and felled a broom propped up against the wall. The last thing Killian heard was Mordred's cackle before smoke rose out of the ground and engulfed them completely.

Nothing happened for a moment and he blinked in confusion. But then the memories came, wave after wave of them not stopping and not relenting in their crushing onslaught.

 _It was his father, abandoning him and his brother on a ship as he ran off with his loot. Killian stared after him. He didn't know how long he cried after that— how long long he blamed his father for leaving them all alone. Liam tried to comfort him, but it wasn't enough. He wouldn't be the same ever again._

He collapsed to his knees, clamping his hands over his ears. No, he couldn't see this. He didn't want to see this.

 _He was on the Jewel of the Realm, Liam held in his arms. He watched as the light faded slowly from his brother's eyes, and his body lost its warmth. No. He couldn't lose him too. Liam was the only thing he had left. He couldn't die too._

Killian clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the memories. They kept on coming.

 _Milah_. No, he couldn't watch this. Not again. _He was on the Jolly Roger, helpless to do anything but watch as the crocodile ripped his lover's heart out of her chest and crushed it. His eyes went wide and unshed tears began prickling at the corner of his eyes. He wouldn't let her die—she couldn't die! He would kill Rumpelstiltskin. He swore, he would flay the man alive for what he did to Milah._

Killian shook his head. No. He had to remember that this was all in the past. He had made amends with the crocodile. He didn't love Milah anymore. He loved Emma.

 _Emma. Her smile, her beautiful smile. Oh, he had missed that smile so much._

He felt the smoke thinning around him, moving away like he was repulsing it somehow.

 _And her sparkling eyes that burrowed into his very soul. She could see right through him._

The memories vanished as quickly as they had come and his mind cleared.

 _And her laugh. He had grabbed every opportunity that had come to him to elicit that beautiful sound from her mouth._

Killian got to his feet, strength pulsing through his veins. He would not let his past defeat him. He would learn from it, he would grow stronger from it, but he would not let it overcome him.

He looked around to see the others collapsed on the ground. "Snap out of it!" he shouted. "It's not real. Only memories."

He saw Regina stir slightly and then blink her eyes open and look up at him. She nodded tersely and stood up shakily, shouting at the others to break free from the memories encompassing them. David and Robin came to not too soon after, and last of all Morgan le Fay. The Enchantress was shaking and her eyes were hollow, but she seemed to be putting on a brave face. He wondered what she had gone through. No matter, all he cared about right now was finding the Sorcerer.

He had told Emma once that he would save her if she ever fell too far into darkness. He told her he would bring her back to him. And he meant it, he really did. He meant every single word.

* * *

 **EMMA POV—15 minutes earlier**

* * *

Emma followed Mordred through the decrepit old halls of the cottage. It was evidently a very old house—the floors and stairs were creaky and wooden and oil lamps hung on the walls. It reminded her of something she would see in the Enchanted Forest.

"Sorcerer!" shouted Mordred angrily. "I know you're here! Come out!"

"Great," muttered Emma. "If he didn't know we were here before, he sure does now."

The magician glared at her and proceeded forward, calling for the Sorcerer all the while. Emma only rolled her eyes as she was forced to follow him. "Go and find the Sorcerer," Mordred commanded. He hesitated slightly before speaking again. "Don't kill him—I want to see his death with my own eyes. Tell me if you have found him."

She nodded stiffly and went one way while he went the other. The house was surprisingly much bigger than it had appeared on the outside. What need would one man have for so many rooms? A few minutes passed before her mind wandered to the woman she had been battling outside—Morgan le Fay, if she remembered correctly. Wasn't she supposed to be a villain? Why was she with the others? Her barrier would hopefully hold for another half hour, but she supposed if Morgan le Fay had magic, then the others would be there much faster.

They would delay Merlin's death. Something inside of her told her murdering Merlin wasn't right, but she ignored it. She had no choice in the matter anyway. Killing the Sorcerer was for the best. This new power she had—she liked it. She didn't _want_ to go back to being the oh-so-wonderful Saviour. She didn't want to go back to being weak. The darkness gave her strength; it gave her power, as she had never felt before. If Merlin managed to survive, then she knew that the darkness would somehow be taken away from her, and she wouldn't be able to live with that. So the only option was killing him. Yes, that was the only way. If Mordred happened to want it too, then his death benefitted more than one person.

The Sorcerer would no doubt know they were here—after all, Mordred had given them away almost immediately. Emma guessed he would be hiding from them ( _where_ he was hiding, that was the question). She continued searching. She knew it wouldn't be long before the others entered the house, only making her hunt for the Sorcerer more urgent.

"Hello, Emma Swan."

She whipped around, her eyes narrowing. "Who's there?"

"The one you are searching for." Emma's eyes widened as a young man stepped out from the shadows, a crooked grin gracing his features. He couldn't be much older than twenty-five.

"Are you _Merlin_?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded curtly.

"Aren't you supposed to be old and look like Dumbledore or something?"

The Sorcerer tipped his head to the side. "I do not know of this 'Dumbledore' you speak of, but I choose my own appearance. Tell me, would you rather look like an old man, or a young one? I find that this guise suits me best."

Emma closed her eyes and sighed. She had found Merlin—now she could do nothing but follow the command Mordred had given her. She opened her mouth to call the magician. "I fou—"

Her mouth suddenly snapped shut, like it had been glued together. She knew this feeling all too well from the times Mordred had forbidden her to speak. She glared at the Sorcerer.

 _"Don't call the magician. Not yet."_ Emma stepped back slightly. The Sorcerer had not opened his mouth yet she had heard his words loud and clear. Was he speaking to her in her head? Maybe she could talk back...

Just to make sure, Emma thought of a long string of curses in her head, hoping he could hear what was going on inside of her mind.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. " _No need for profanity."_ So he _could_ hear her.

" _Let me talk again,"_ she commanded him silently, a dark fury accompanying her words.

" _No. I must speak to you before Mordred arrives. I have been waiting for you, Emma."_ The Sorcerer's expression remained as impassive as ever.

 _"What do you want?"_

 _"I can take the darkness out of you. I can make you the Saviour again."_

 _"Then why aren't you doing it?"_

 _"I can only perform the purging with your consent. Do you want this?"_

Emma's breath hitched in her throat. If he took the darkness out of her, the power she had felt would be gone. Sure, she would still have magic, but nowhere near as potent. Her mind flashed to Killian. What would he want her to do? He would want her to say yes, of course. That was the whole reason he had come to find Merlin in the first place. They could be happy—they could spend the rest of their lives together, grow old together. Emma remembered their conversation only a little while prior to the incident with the Author.

* * *

 _"Emma!"_

 _"What is it, Hook?" she asked tiredly, leaning her head down on the Sherriff's desk. She really didn't have the time or patience for this now. Emma hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all night—she hadn't slept properly since Cruella's death. She had seen the people looking at her, every time she stepped out. It was almost as if they were scared of her. Even her own parents whispered to each other, abruptly stopping when she entered the room. It didn't matter what they said anyway—she didn't care. She was frustrated, angry, tired, and had no coffee—not a good combination for Emma Swan._

 _Killian seemed to notice her irritation, for he came closer and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, love," he whispered. "We'll find a way."_

 _"Will we?" she asked. "Because right now it looks like the villains are winning."_

 _"Do you really think so, Emma? Because for the villains to win, they have to turn your heart dark."_

 _"And your point is...?"_

 _"Your heart will remain pure."_

 _She stared at him. His blue eyes sparkled in the dim light as deep as the sea itself. He seemed so sure of what he was saying. Emma sighed. "At this point, I don't really know anymore. I killed someone, Killian."_

 _"You only did it to protect your son."_

 _"Yes, but it turns out she didn't even have the power to kill him. She couldn't hurt him at all—Henry was completely safe."_

 _"But you didn't know that at the time."_

 _"I should have!" she yelled suddenly. "I could have pushed her out of the way; I could have gotten Henry back without killing her. I could have done something else. There was a path out of it all where no one got hurt. But I didn't take it. Instead, I killed her. And you know what? I was happy! Happy that she was laying there at the bottom of the cliff, dead."_

 _"You enjoyed killing her?" he asked calmly. His expression was unreadable._

 _"Of course not!" she replied. "But I didn't regret it either." She sighed softly. "And that scares the hell out of me." Emma looked down, blinking back tears of anger and frustration and fear._

 _"Emma, look at me," said Hook after a while._

 _She didn't want to, but she turned her head to stare up at him anyway. His jaw was clenched and there was a fire burning in his eyes. "I'm a killer," she whispered softly._

 _"Listen to me, Swan," he said fiercely. "Yes, you killed someone, but does that make you a villain? No! You did it because you believed it to be right —you did it to save your son. There is_ _nothing_ _wrong with that."_

 _"What if Gold manages to turn my heart dark? What if he's already succeeded?" she whispered._

 _"Emma, you are the strongest, truest, bravest person I have ever met. You are not going dark, whether you like it or not." He stared at her, his gaze almost challenging._

 _"I don't..."_

 _"You changed me. You made me a better man. Your light brought me back from the darkness. The town needs you, Emma—it always has."_

 _"And what if I do go dark?" she hissed, her voice suddenly charged with fury. "What will they all do then? What will you do?"_

 _Killian kneeled down so his eyes were level with hers. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her. "I'll bring you back," he whispered. "I'll bring you back to me."_

 _And then when he kissed her, the world exploded into fireworks and all her worries washed away._

* * *

The Sorcerer was staring at her. He raised an eyebrow—had he seen the memory? Emma stared right back. "Well _?"_ he hissed, speaking aloud this time. "Will you allow me to remove the curse of darkness from within you?"

She already knew with frightening certainty what her reply was—she had known from the moment he had asked her. Her eyes narrowed and she found she could open her mouth again. _I'm sorry, Killian._ Emma stared straight into his eyes and she answered his question, her voice firm and unwavering.

"No."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Wow! I was shocked by all the response to the last chapter! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Only about 2-3 more chapters left of this fic :) I've got the ending all planned! Please review and follow and favourite! It makes my day a thousand times better!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, unfortunately...**

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

It was time to find the Sorcerer and put an end to all of this once and for all. Killian moved with purpose through the halls, determined to find Merlin, or Mordred, or Emma, or whichever one they stumbled upon first.

He stopped immediately when he heard a voice—one that he recognized instantly as Emma's. "Mordred! I found the Sorcerer!" He spared a quick glance at the others and then was off running towards the direction of Emma's voice. She had found the Sorcerer—hopefully, he wasn't dead yet. He navigated the halls with relative ease and found what he was looking for within moments: Emma and a young man who appeared to be the Sorcerer. Mordred hadn't seemed to have arrived yet.

Killian was slightly taken aback by the appearances of both Emma and the Sorcerer. Merlin looked as if he was only a little older than a mere teenager—a young adult at the most. He had honestly expected the man to be much older and perhaps seem a little wiser. The man in front of him looked like he had barely any knowledge stored away in that head of his. Perchance it was simply an illusion to fool those who did not know beforehand of his power and intelligence?

And Emma...Emma had changed in the short while since he had seen her outside. Her skin had become paler, and her eyes had lost their lustre. He could see the scales creeping up onto the skin of her neck now, whereas before they were barely halfway up her arms. How could one have transformed so much in such little time?

"Emma?" he asked tentatively, moving closer. She only scowled and thrust out her hands, warning him to stay back. He felt a sudden pang of hurt strike him. He couldn't remember the last time she had pushed him away so much before she became the Dark One.

"Stay back, Hook," she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"We've found the Sorcerer," he exclaimed, gesturing to the young man standing beside her. "He can take the darkness out of you!"

"We've already gone through that," sighed Emma. "He's not going to do it."

"What?" snapped Regina angrily. Killian saw the rest of his company turn to glare at Merlin, but he didn't. He kept staring at Emma. Her expression was a confusing one to decipher. She was sad, as much as she tried to hide it. But she was also happy, and he didn't know why.

Merlin shrugged. "She wouldn't allow it," he said simply, tilting his head towards the new Dark One. "I would have if she had given her consent."

Killian continued to stare at Emma, but now his expression had morphed into one of incredulity. She had had the chance to remove the darkness from within her once and for all, but she hadn't taken it! Why? He was about to voice his thoughts, but David beat him.

"Why?" asked the prince, a pained expression covering his features. "Emma, don't you want the darkness removed?"

Emma's gaze darkened. "No," she said quietly. "No."

"Why not?" asked Robin, his tone slightly bewildered.

"I like the power," whispered the blonde-haired woman. "It's...it's like nothing I have felt before."

"No," said Killian firmly. "You don't like the power, love. It's the Dark One's curse that's doing this to you. You never used to care about power."

"Really?" she sneered, raising an eyebrow. "Well then, it seems like you don't know me very well, do you?"

"Wait," said Regina, holding her hands out. "Wasn't the darkness created to always have a host? If the Sorcerer removes it from Emma, then it's only logical it has to go somewhere else." The woman turned to face Merlin, her eyes narrowing. "Who were you planning to tether it to?"

"This," said the Sorcerer quietly, pulling out a small ornate box from his cloak. "I have let this darkness roam free for far too long...I must destroy it once and for all. I have been working on this for the past few decades, and I believe it will successfully contain the darkness."

"Will it really?" asked Morgan le Fay somewhat sceptically, narrowing her eyes. Killian recalled that the woman had known the Sorcerer before.

Merlin stared at the Enchantress before nodding. "Yes. Unfortunately, to transfer the darkness I must have the Dark One give her consent willingly."

"No," hissed Emma, her eyes darkening.

Killian stared at her and she stared back, her expression as impassive as ever. "What happened to you, Emma," he whispered softly. He thought he saw pain flash in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

"Nothing," she snarled. "I just know my priorities now."

"You may have power, but you're not even in control of yourself," retorted Regina. "Mordred controls your every move."

"He isn't here yet, is he?" hissed Emma. "Besides, I'll have that dagger soon enough."

Morgan le Fay laughed, startling all of them. "Mordred isn't likely to surrender the dagger easily, believe me."

"How do you know him?" asked the Dark One, directing her question at the Enchantress. The glower on her face was replaced with a bored sort of curiousity and Killian shuddered slightly. Since when had she gotten like this? The darkness was affecting her more than he would've thought.

"He is my late sister's son," drawled Morgan le Fay. "I knew him as a child." The woman turned to face the Sorcerer and narrowed her eyes. "Merlin did too, for that matter."

Emma opened her mouth to speak again, but Killian interrupted her. "Swan, please." he said, ignoring her glare. "The Sorcerer is right here—he can eradicate the darkness! We can go back home..."

The former Saviour seemed confused and Killian thought he saw a hint of the old Emma in her features. Maybe if he helped her remember who she really was, she would see reason and give her consent.

"Don't you remember...? You were so happy when we got home from the other reality. You were so happy we were all back together."

The Dark One hesitated.

"Don't you want to go back again?" he continued. "You told me you loved me, remember?"

She didn't protest when he moved closer.

"Emma," he said quietly, "you know when I told you if you ever fell too far into darkness I'd bring you back?"

She nodded.

"I'm trying," he continued, "believe me, I am. But I can't do it without your help. Please...come back to us. Come back to _me_."

Emma hesitated, and he saw a thin sheet of unshed tears glaze her eyes. "Killian—"

"Enough of this!" interrupted a voice he knew all too well. He turned to face the newcomer and scowled. It was the last person he wanted to see at the moment: Mordred. The dagger was held firmly in his hand, glinting in the dim light. "I see you've found the Sorcerer."

Emma nodded stiffly, but he could tell she was fighting a battle internally. He could only hope that the right side won.

"Good," hissed the magician, his eyes roving over the small crowd gathered in front of him. He smirked and raised the dagger to his lips. "Now kill him."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

She heard a faint "No!" of protest but she had no choice but to do what he asked of her. She had to kill him. Emma moved forwards, her hands outstretched, her thoughts whirling from what Killian had said to her. He made her remember how happy she had been with him. With the Dark One's curse on her, could she ever have that happiness again? It wasn't relevant now. She would kill the Sorcerer no matter what, and the darkness would live on inside of her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she sent a blast of energy straight towards the young man in front of her. The Sorcerer moved aside deftly, his eyes like chips of ice. But it wasn't her he was angry with—it was Mordred. That much, she could tell. "Stop this now, Mordred," hissed Merlin.

"No!" shouted the magician. "You were the cause of my mother's death. Now I will be the cause of yours!"

"You know that I had no choice!" growled the Sorcerer, dodging Emma's blasts with ease. "Morgause would have destroyed all of Camelot!"

"It doesn't matter," said Mordred. "You will still die."

Emma saw a flash of pain cross Merlin's eyes—it was the most vulnerable she had seen him yet. "Was Arthur's death not enough for you?" he whispered.

Emma had had enough. The command was still fresh in her head—she knew what she had to do. She moved forward and thrust her hand out, trapping Merlin in her magical grip. The Sorcerer was lifted into the air as she squeezed his windpipe. Interestingly enough, Merlin remained perfectly calm, even at the brink of death.

"Mordred, stop it!" cried David, attempting to move forward, only to be blown back by her other hand. She couldn't let anyone interfere. Regina, Robin, and Killian tried to stop her as well but they were met with the same fate as David. She heard them crash against the wall. A corner of her mind wondered where Morgan le Fay was, but she pushed the thought away. She couldn't lose focus. Her hand squeezed tighter and the pressure on the Sorcerer's throat increased, but for some reason she found that she could not go any further. It was like there was a block preventing her from choking Merlin to death. He must be using his magic against her.

"Mordred," said the Sorcerer calmly, his voice not at all constricted by the pressure on his neck. "I know you are better than this."

"You don't know me," snarled the magician. "Emma, why are you not killing him?"

"He's not letting me," she replied through gritted teeth. Her hand slowly unclenched from its death grip and the Sorcerer dropped to the ground calmly. Emma found that she was frozen in place—she couldn't move a muscle Merlin would pay when she was free—she didn't care if Mordred commanded her to kill him or not. She would do it anyway.

"You must understand," said the Sorcerer, speaking to the angry magician behind her. "Morgause needed to die. If I allowed her to live then all of Camelot would have fallen."

"I don't care!" shouted Mordred. "She was my mother and you killed her! For that, you shall pay."

Emma heard a faint groan from behind her. Most likely Killian or the rest of them coming to after she had thrown them against the wall. She briefly wondered again where Morgan le Fay was—she hadn't seen the woman for quite a while now. Unfortunately, she couldn't turn around and look because she was _still_ paralyzed in place. For how much longer, she didn't know. Damn the Sorcerer.

"I knew you as a boy, Mordred," whispered Merlin quietly, breaking the momentary silence. "You were different then. Nowhere near as vicious."

"I had my mother then you fool," hissed the magician. "Now release the Dark One from her paralysis."

"She will only attempt to kill me," answered the Sorcerer. Emma glared at him. At least Mordred was trying to help her get free, no matter if it was for his own evil ends.

"Yes," Mordred said. "And you will get the ending you deserve."

"Tell me, Mordred," Merlin sighed, "if you want me dead so much, then why don't you kill me yourself?"

Emma saw Mordred freeze.

"You don't really want me dead, do you?" said Merlin sadly. "You don't want to kill me."

"Of course I do!" spluttered the magician.

"Then why don't you do it yourself?"

Mordred seemed to be at a loss for words.

"You don't want my blood on your hands, isn't that right?" Merlin said softly. "The one you looked upon as a mentor. I was the father you never had. You know as well as I do that Morgause had to die. She would have meant the end of Camelot _and_ the Enchanted Forest."

Mordred still did not reply.

Merlin sighed. "I had to kill her because she was going to kill _you_."

Mordred finally found his voice. "What?" he choked. "No, you're wrong. She would have never harmed me."

"She needed the heart of the one she loved most for her spell to work. The enchantment would have both destroyed Camelot and killed you. I could not let that happen."

"You're lying," scowled Mordred. "She loved me too much for that."

"I'm not. I have never lied to you, my dear boy."

A moment passed and all was silent. Emma didn't know what Mordred was going to do next. Would he forgive the Sorcerer? She saw Merlin flick his fingers and the next thing she knew, she was free from her paralysis. She could move again! Having no choice, Emma moved forward. Mordred's command was still fresh in her head—she would have to kill the Sorcerer.

"Dark One, I command you to stop," said a shaky voice. She halted in her conquest, glancing over at Mordred. The dagger was held in his trembling hands, and a small smile rested upon his face. "Don't kill him..."

Merlin beamed, his eyes sparkling with approval. "Thank you," murmured the Sorcerer.

Emma saw Mordred nod. "I won't kill you," said the magician, directing his words at the Sorcerer, "but I won't forgive you either. Not yet."

"I understand."

"Good." Mordred stepped forwards and, to her great surprise, handed the dagger to Emma. "This is rightfully yours," he murmured. "I am sorry—I have wronged you in my pursuit for revenge."

Emma didn't say anything, only nodded, but inside her heart was leaping in joy. Finally, she was free.

"Now," said a voice she recognized as Killian's. "I think it's time for you to remove the Dark One's curse from Emma." She looked back to see her pirate's smiling face staring right back at her. She couldn't help but smile too.

Merlin turned to them and held up the box he had shown them previously. "I can confine the darkness to this," he said, "but as I said before, I must have the Dark One's consent."

Her immediate thought: she didn't want to. She loved the power, and now that she was free from Mordred's control, she could do whatever she wished. But she knew it wasn't the right thing to do, no matter how much the voice in her head told her to keep the power of the darkness. She knew that she could be dangerous. She didn't want to hurt anyone—not Killian, not her son. And one look from Killian made her decision certain. Yes. She would tell the Sorcerer to rid her of the darkness once and for all.

"Fine," she said quietly. "I give you my consent."

Merlin smiled and lifted his hands; prepared to enact whatever spell he had in mind to rid the darkness from her body and soul. His eyes glowed golden and a haze of smoke rose up around them. " _Tenebris, præcipio tibi—"_

His words were suddenly cut off as the Sorcerer choked and fell abruptly to the ground. Emma blinked in confusion as the smoke died down and moved closer, only to see a stain of red slowly spreading across the man's back. She looked up and saw Morgan le Fay standing over him, a bloodstained knife clutched in her hands. The Enchantress cackled.

"What have you done?" shouted Regina, moving closer.

"What I should have done years ago," laughed Morgan le Fay. She winked briefly at Emma and the next moment she was gone, vanished in a cloud of smoke. She had grabbed the box too. The one Merlin had said would contain the darkness once and for all was gone along with the Enchantress. Regina rushed towards Merlin, bending over him before any of them could even think to move.

"Well...?" asked Killian softly as the brunette checked Merlin's pulse. Emma was frozen, rooted to the spot.

Regina looked up at them, her expression unreadable. She shook her head once and then looked back down, her voice somber. "He's dead."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you so much darlings! This is the second-last chapter! We're almost there! Also, the beginning portion of this chapter is not told in any specific character's point of view.**

 **Disclaimer: I WISH I owned OUaT...but I don't :(**

* * *

Chapter 23

* * *

The Sorcerer was dead, that much was true. But his magic was not. A brilliant ball of glowing light exited Merlin's body, unbeknownst to anyone around him. It flew up and forwards, not knowing its destination, only knowing it must find another. Someone else to hold its power.

The orb of light flew past the unsuspecting citizens, paying no heed to the points and curious stares. It could sense its next host's presence already and its only goal was to reach the man or woman destined to contain its power within them. The light travelled forwards, across trees and lakes, searching.

It saw a town. A small, quaint little clump of building and it knew. It knew that this was where its next host would be—the new Sorcerer. The ball of magic swooped down, weaving between trees and branches. The forest ended and then came the people. They saw it and pointed, but none were too shocked. It was a common occurrence to see things out of the ordinary in the town.

The light moved above the heads of the curious pedestrians and darted towards the residence of the one it would take rest in. A small shop, filled with trinkets and magic. Yes, there was strong magic here. The orb glowed brighter as it neared its destination. Closer...closer...

It could see him now. The host. The new Sorcerer. The light ignored the gasp of the woman near the man's bed and dived right in, straight towards the heart of the unmoving being. It entered the heart as white as snow and felt its power spread throughout the man's body. The light's host took a deep breath and his eyes shot open, his body shaking from the great power flowing through his veins. The Sorcerer had awoken.

His name was Rumpelstiltskin.

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

Killian felt his heart plummet in his chest. Merlin, the Sorcerer, was dead. His immediate feeling was guilt. He _knew_ something bad would happen if Morgan le Fay joined them. He _knew_ that they shouldn't trust her. And yet he let the rest of them convince him it was for the best. Now, would Emma remain the Dark One forever? As far as he knew, there wasn't any other way to remove the Dark One's curse other than the Sorcerer himself. And the Sorcerer was dead now, so what hope did they have?

He looked up as he heard Mordred sigh. The magician he had grown to hate so much was now standing quietly over Merlin's body, his fists clenched. The man kneeled over beside where Regina was and closed Merlin's eyes gently, whispering a soft farewell before standing again and nodding at Killian.

"I must go now," said Mordred. "Morgan le Fay will need to be handled."

"You'll go after her?" asked Regina.

"Yes," he replied. "She needs to learn some things..."

Regina nodded. None of them had forgiven Mordred. Hell, Killian still wanted him to suffer for all he had put them, especially Emma, through. But for now he would let the man go peacefully. Mordred vanished the next moment, gone in a cloud of smoke, leaving them alone next to the Sorcerer's dead body.

"Emma...?" he said quietly. It was only now he saw his Swan standing there, an unreadable expression placed upon her face. She looked up at him and grimaced, shaking her head once.

"The Sorcerer is dead," she said dully.

"Hey," whispered David quietly. "We'll break the curse. We don't need the Sorcerer."

Emma laughed bitterly and Killian shuddered. He could _see_ the darkness in her eyes. He could see it in everything she did. She had changed so much. "You really think so?" she hissed sceptically. "The Sorcerer is dead, and so are my chances of breaking the Dark One's curse." Emma tilted her head to the side. "I guess it doesn't really matter so much now. I'm free of Mordred's control. I can do whatever I want."

"Don't you want the darkness out?" asked Robin.

Emma shrugged. "When there was an actual chance of Merlin removing it, sure. But now that he's dead I'll just have to learn to live with it, hmm? It isn't so bad. I'm the same, really."

"Emma—"

"You're not the same!" said Killian, interrupting Regina, who shot him a dirty glare. "You've changed...you're different."

"Really?" asked Emma sceptically.

He nodded. Could Emma not see how much she had changed? The Dark One's curse had made her this way. "You don't smile anymore," he whispered. "I haven't seen you smile since that night at the diner."

"You've barely seen me since then," scowled Emma.

"I've seen you enough. Please, Swan. You're different, believe me."

He saw something flicker in Emma's eyes, but it was gone the next second. "Okay, fine, I'm different. So what? I can't do anything about it, can I?"

"Yes, you—"

"Sorry to interrupt," snapped Regina, cutting him off, "but Belle just called. Gold's awake...and he's different."

"Different? How?" asked Robin, a quizzical expression on his face.

"I don't know...but she says we should go back to Storybrooke." Regina glanced over at Emma. "It'd probably be for the best. We'll find a way to break the curse without the Sorcerer."

"There is no other way," hissed Emma, the venom in her voice shocking even him.

"You don't know that," said David. Charming turned to face Regina. "Yes, I think going back to Storybrooke would be a good idea. Can Emma get us there with her magic?"

"I could," said the blonde-haired woman. "For a price."

"Emma!" replied David reproachfully. "We're your family! Do we really need to give you something in return for you bringing us all back to Storybrooke?"

"A promise," continued Emma. "You're not going to try and remove the darkness from inside of me. You aren't even going to look for another way."

"What?" asked Killian. "No. You can't ask us to do that. We—I—won't do that."

"Promise!" hissed Emma, her eyes glowing dark for a few moments. "Or I won't help you get back to Storybrooke."

"We could always take David's truck," snapped Regina. "We don't need your help getting back to Storybrooke."

"Fine," said Emma quietly. "You don't need my help. You go back to Storybrooke. But I won't be coming with you. If you want me to come back, then you have to promise."

There was a moment of tense silence. Killian's mind was a flurry of thoughts and woes. He couldn't see any other way out of it. They couldn't _make_ her come back to Storybrooke—she could simply use her magic and disappear. He knew that if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be. On the other hand, if they did give her what she asked of them, then she would come back to Storybrooke willingly. And they could always break the promise...right?

"Fine," he said, breaking the quiet haze that had settled around them. "I promise." He looked around at the others who murmured their assent after a few moments as well.

Emma smiled triumphantly. "Good." She snapped her fingers and the next thing he knew, they were all standing at the docks in Storybrooke. David's car was situated next to them and a still-unconscious Zelena lay on the wooden floor. Killian looked at Emma, albeit impressed by her magical ability. How far had she transported all of them? Several miles, at least. He glimpsed her discreetly slip the dagger into her jacket, stowing it safely away from prying eyes.

A strangled shout broke the silence. "Emma!" Killian looked to see Snow White rushing towards them, her face set in determination.

Emma returned her mother's hug, but Killian noticed that it was done with the slightest hesitation. The two broke apart far quicker than he would have thought and Emma backed away, rubbing her arm. Her eyes flashed dark for a moment and then she turned to Regina, murmuring something quietly. He couldn't help but think that she was avoiding meeting his gaze.

Not a moment passed before Belle had arrived, the crocodile in tow. The crocodile looked different. He no longer had the same dark air about him. "Gold," he greeted curtly. The man nodded and turned towards Emma, biting his lip.

"Belle told me what happened..."

Emma said nothing, only nodded. Killian could only guess what was going through her head right now. Did she blame him?

Gold hesitated. "And I'm sorry."

Emma still didn't speak. Her expression remained impassive.

"I," began the former Dark One, "believe that I am the new Sorcerer."

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma didn't know _what_ to think. Rumpelstiltskin as the Sorcerer? The idea was almost laughable. The first thought that came to mind was the irony of it all. How was it fair that she, the Saviour, had become the Dark One, while Rumpelstiltskin, the former Dark One who had committed countless misdeeds, was now the famed Sorcerer? If anything, it only made her hate the man more.

Regina broke the silence first. "How is that possible?" she asked incredulously. "Why would you think that?"

Gold looked down for a moment, then seemed to regain himself and face them again. "When I woke up from my...coma...I felt different. I had knowledge I never possessed, even as the Dark One."

Belle nodded. "Yes, I saw it. A great big ball of light was sucked straight into his heart...and then he woke up." The woman had been so quiet; Emma had nearly forgotten she was there. She had seen the brunette shooting furtive, almost fearful, glances at her when she first arrived. She realized Belle hadn't seen her since before she had become the Dark One—she was bound to look different now, with all the scales and whatnot. They were nearly up to her chin now, sparkling and glinting in the sunlight.

"A big ball of light?" said Regina sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

Belle nodded again.

"Okay, fine," sighed the former Evil Queen. "So if Gold is now supposedly the Sorcerer, shouldn't he have the power to rid the darkness from Emma?"

Emma glanced over at Regina, raising an eyebrow. She had made them all promise not to try and remove the darkness from within her. She had made them promise that they wouldn't even _look_ for a way. She would hold them to their promise if she had to. She didn't know what she was thinking when she had allowed the Sorcerer to try and remove the Dark One's curse. She had simply seen Killian's face and caved. But she wouldn't be so weak now. She wouldn't let them take her power, no matter what. Besides, Morgan le Fay had taken the box Merlin had said would contain the darkness once and for all. There was no way of removing the darkness from inside her now without condemning another innocent.

"I don't know how," said Gold, somewhat regretfully. "I still haven't learned to control this power. Maybe a week? A month?" His eyes flashed angrily. "You realize I'm not going to do anything you ask simply because I am not the Dark One anymore. I still have my priorities. First comes Belle. Then me. Then the rest of you."

"He's still the same," muttered Regina. "You of all people should be doing everything you can to help Emma. Don't you even feel the tiniest bit guilty?"

Emma scowled, interrupting them. "And don't _you_ think maybe I don't want your help? Any of your help?" she said, gesturing to everyone crowded around her.

She heard David sigh softly.

"Besides," she continued. "You can't. You can't take away the darkness without putting it into someone else. Morgan le Fay took the box Merlin made, remember?"

"We'll find a way," said Killian quietly.

"No," she growled fiercely. "No, you won't. You promised."

"And I'll break that promise if it means getting you back," hissed Killian, moving closer.

"You wouldn't," she mocked, narrowing her eyes, almost daring him to say something.

"Yes. I would."

Emma felt fury rise up within her. She had never been this angry with him—not even when he was allied with Cora. The anger inside of her was uncontrollable. She wanted to _hurt_ him and that scared the hell out of her.

She backed away. She needed to leave, before she hurt anyone. She needed to get out of there. Killian grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. There was such pain in her eyes that she just wanted to melt into his arms. But she couldn't let herself do that. Emma glared at Killian. "Let me go."

"No," he said softly.

"Let me go!"

"No!" he repeated. "Please, Swan...don't leave me again."

Her eyes softened when she saw how _lost_ he looked, but they were quickly replaced with a cold hardness. She wrenched her arm out of his grip and stalked away. He followed, of course. "How many times do I have to tell you," she cried, turning back to face him. "Leave me alone!"

"I won't," he said calmly. "I can't."

"Why not?" she jeered. "Are you going to follow me around like a lost puppy?"

He stepped back, hurt plastered clearly across his face. She instantly regretted her words, but she didn't let it show. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered softly. "I love you."

All the frustration inside of her suddenly rose up anew. _I love you,_ he had said. If he loved her, would he have grabbed her like that? Would he have told her he would break his promise? She was angry. Angry with Killian, angry with her family, angry with herself. Emma cast one final glare at the pirate in front of her.

"Go to hell," she growled.

Then she walked away, determined never to look back.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: WOOOOOOOO LAST CHAPTER! I have had soooo much fun writing this fic and all of your support only made it a thousand times better! You guys are beautiful people (unless you're animals, in which case, I applaud you for being able to read)!**

 **Also, I'm not sure if you guys knew already, but the Season 5 Premiere is called 'The Dark Swan'. And have you seen the preview pictures of Emma as the Dark One? They're EPIC :)**

 **One last note: I'll only do an epilogue if you guys want...if not, then this is the END! :)**

 **EDIT : There will be an epilogue! Yay!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I *sniffs* don't *sniffs* own *sniffs* anything! Sorry guys, I'm just so emotional.**

 **NOW ON WITH THE STORY (finally)!**

* * *

Chapter 24

* * *

 **KILLIAN POV**

* * *

Killian couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the ground as Emma vanished right before his eyes and there was a sort of ringing in his ears. There was such _hate_ in her gaze as she looked at him. He had _never_ seen her look at him that way, not even when they first met. What had he done to merit such anger? _Go to hell._ She had said that to him. The words rang in his mind until they were the only sound he could hear.

 _Go to hell._

"Hook?"

He looked back, shaking himself out of his thought. No, he couldn't afford to look weak, not now. No matter what Emma said to him, he knew it wasn't really her. It was the Dark One's curse affecting her, changing her.

"You okay?" asked David, nearing him.

"Of course I am," he snapped, perhaps a little too harshly. "We need to break the Dark One's curse. Now."

David nodded, unfazed by his anger. The rest of the crowd neared them as well and he noticed the crocodile seemed troubled. Good. He deserved to feel this way after everything he had done.

"Henry's taking care of Neal and Roland back at the loft," said Mary Margaret after a little while, speaking mostly to her husband. "Someone should go and check on them."

Killian nodded, seeing truth in her words. There was a chance Emma could have gone to see her son. He was the first one off and running, towards the Charming's loft. If there was _any_ possibility she was there, he had to go. A part of him wanted to see her so bad after the way she had left, but a part of him was scared as well. Scared of what she would say to him. Scared of what she might do.

He reached the family's residence within no time, the Charmings, Robin, and Regina close behind him. He climbed the steps and swung the already unlocked door open, only to see a rather white-faced Henry standing there, and the sleeping forms of Neal and Roland behind him.

"Henry!" shouted Regina, running up to her son and hugging him. "What happened? Did Emma come?"

Henry nodded, easing himself out of the hug and looking up at the rest of them. "Yeah...she left only a few seconds ago." His expression morphed into one of confusion. "She came to say goodbye..."

"Goodbye?" asked Snow in alarm.

The boy looked down, a sad air about him. "I tried to tell her," he said quietly. "I tried to tell her not to leave but she didn't listen. She hugged me and just... _left."_ When he looked up again, his face was twisted in anger. "She left me _again_. How many times is she going to leave me before she just goes and never comes back?"

Regina laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she said quietly. "We'll find her. I promise."

Henry pushed her hand off of his shoulder and left for his room, leaving them all to stare up after him. Regina looked at the rest of them uncomfortably. "Well?" she asked. "What now?"

Killian scowled. "We do what we have to do. We find her."

And he went to go do just that.

* * *

 **EMMA POV**

* * *

Emma knew they would be searching for her. But they wouldn't find her, at least not when she had left Storybrooke. They wouldn't care if she left anyway. The town would be better off without her. She sat on the docks, silently swinging her feet back and forth. This would be the last time she would gaze out at Storybrooke's harbour—she had made her mind up she would leave exactly half an hour from now. Sunset. She could just leave right now, but something was keeping her here for a little while longer.

She would miss Henry. Emma had gone to say goodbye only a little while ago, and she had barely been able to hold the tears in. It was strange, saying goodbye to your son for the last time. She had only been with him a few years, and now she was leaving him again. He would no doubt blame her. She had to admit, Henry's pleading eyes had almost made her cave. But she was stronger than that—once her mind was made up there was no way she would deviate from her course of action.

Her parents too—the famed Snow White and Prince Charming. She still found it hard to believe. They had given her so much. She had come to terms with the fact that they had had to give her up as a child. It was only for the good of their kingdom, she understood that now. And as for condemning Lily to a life of darkness, well, anyone could make mistakes. She had done far worse already by killing an innocent man. She would miss them...she would be an orphan again.

Emma thought of the others—Regina, Robin, Ruby, Belle...all of her friends. She would miss them too, but she knew she could never see any of them again. It was for their own good. Regina and Robin would get their happy ending, she knew it. They would overcome their problems with Zelena—they were strong like that. They would live out the rest of their days in happiness, with Henry and Roland and maybe even Zelena's unborn child. Belle would sort out her problems with Gold eventually, and Ruby would find someone too one day.

And then she thought of the one person she didn't want to think about. The one person she was determined to forget. Killian. The smallest seed of guilt began to grow in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't meant to shout at him like that. She was angry—the darkness inside her didn't help things. She was generally frustrated with the world and she happened to vent out her anger on the one person who might be able to help her. Did he hate her now? If he did, then maybe it was for the best. He wouldn't feel so bad when she left. She supposed by leaving Storybrooke, she was destroying his happy ending as well. Henry had Regina, her parents had Neal, and Killian had no one. But he would find someone one day—she knew he would. He would marry and live out the rest of his days in happiness. He would forget about her eventually.

Emma had to hold back a sob at that. He would forget about her.

She didn't want to think about that. She _couldn't_ think of that. So she didn't think. She sat in silence, gazing out at the glimmering water. It was beautiful—the sun illuminating the water and sky and the pastel pinks and oranges. She would miss Storybrooke.

"Emma?"

No. This wasn't supposed to happen. Nobody could be here. Especially not _him._ She looked back and immediately wished she hadn't. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him come closer. She knew she could simply vanish with a snap of her fingers, but some unknown force kept her there, rooted to the spot. "Killian," she said softly.

He neared her and laid a hand on her shoulder, but she wrenched out of his grip. No. She wasn't going to do this...not now. "Go away, Hook," she snarled, moving farther away.

"I already told you, Emma," he said, "I won't. No matter what you do."

"You know," she said, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible, "I could always poof myself out of here. I'd be gone. Just like that."

"But you aren't. You could, but you're not going to."

"How do you know?" she hissed, anger suddenly broiling in the pit of her stomach. " _You don't know me_."

"I do know you," he said quietly. "I know you, but I think _you_ seem to have lost sight of who you are."

She scoffed, "I know perfectly well who I am."

Killian raised an eyebrow, only increasing her fury towards him.

"I do!" she shouted, raising her voice.

She looked at him in confusion when he laughed. "Anyone else in the vicinity would have heard the 'I do' and only that," he explained mischievously. He leaned in closer, grinning slightly. "You know what they would think?"

She remained silent for a moment, and then felt heat rise to her cheeks as the meaning dawned on her. She snorted. "No. I would never in a million years marry you."

She thought he looked upset for a moment, but his expression quickly changed to one of mock sadness. "I'm hurt," he choked, swaggering to his feet.

Emma glared at him. "Do what you want. I'm not changing my mind. I'm leaving at sunset."

Killian hesitated for a moment and Emma was sure she had won. He would simply back off and go and she would never see him again. That was for the best. "Swan," he said quietly, his tone suddenly serious. "Don't leave."

"I have to."

"No, you don't," he argued. "You can stay here. We can be happy together."

"That's not going to happen," she said flatly. "There's no way to break the Dark One's curse—Gold might be able to do it in a while, but he can't without confining the darkness to someone else. Morgan le Fay took Merlin's box, remember?"

"We can get the box back," persisted Killian.

"No!" she shouted. "It's hopeless. I made you promise, didn't I? I'd advise you to keep your promise." Emma hesitated. "I just don't want to hurt you...I killed a man recently. He was innocent, and I killed him. Mordred didn't make me...I did it all by myself.

"Emma," he said firmly. "That wasn't you. It was the Dark One."

"Exactly!" she shouted. "I could hurt any one of you! And I don't know what to think...at times I love it—being the Dark One, but then I hate it so much, I want it gone. Then I go back to loving it..." A strangled sob escaped her throat.

"Swan, it's okay," he said quietly.

"It's not okay!" she hissed. "I need to leave so you—all of you—can be happy. That's why I made you promise—I didn't want you to spend the rest of your life in a hopeless pursuit. You needed to live. Find someone, marry, have children..."

"I want to do all that with you, Emma!"

"I'm sorry, Killian, I really am," she whispered. "But you can't. I'm leaving now. You can have a good life here in Storybrooke."

"I don't care about Storybrooke! I don't care about any promises I made! Hell, I don't even care that you're the bloody Dark One!" he shouted suddenly.

"Then what _do_ you care about?"

"I care about _you_ ," he said hotly. "And trust me, running away from everything isn't going to help."

"I'm not running away," she retorted. "I'm trying to protect you."

"Well, it won't work," he hissed stubbornly. "I'll only come after you. So will the rest of us, for that matter."

"You won't find me."

"I will."

"No, you won't."

"I will."

She stood up to face him, her fists clenched and anger boiling through her veins. "Goddammit, Killian! Just go away!"

"No."

She sighed, staring him straight in the eyes. They were so _blue_. She could drown in them. "Why won't you leave?" she whispered, defeated.

He stared right back at her. "Because I love you."

And then he kissed her. She stumbled backwards, but then met his lips with as much fevered passion as she could muster. Her heart thudded in her chest, so hard it could have broken her ribcage. She couldn't move, struggling to contain her racing heart and mind. All she could think of now was _him._ His eyes, his leather, his laugh...

Not a moment later, she felt a white hot breeze rise up around them. She didn't care though. Hell, she didn't care if the world ended. All she cared about was him and only him. They broke apart, gasping softly. "Emma..." he whispered.

She looked back to see the sun touching the water. Sunset. "I have to leave now, Killian," she said quietly. "I'm sorry..."

"No," he said impatiently. "No—I mean, look!"

She looked down and gasped softly as she saw the scales on her arms receding slowly, until they were only visible on the tips of her fingers. She checked her reflection in the water and noticed her face had regained some of its rosy complexion and her eyes were no longer hollow and empty. "What happened?" she asked in amazement.

Killian smiled. "True love's kiss seems to solve everything, hm?"

"We're...?"

Killian nodded.

Emma laughed. "It broke the curse? I'm not the Dark One anymore?"

"I'm afraid not, love," he replied. "The Dark One's curse is too strong to be broken by anything other than the Sorcerer." He gestured to the scales still on the edges of her fingertips. "But," he continued, "It seems to have kept the curse at bay."

She pulled the dagger out of her jacket and frowned. _Emma Swan._ "I'm still the Dark One...I still have to leave."

"No," he said, "you don't."

"But—"

"You may still be the Dark One, but that doesn't mean you're not Emma anymore. We have true love, don't we? You _can't_ leave now."

She gulped. "Then what—"

"We'll get through it. Like we always have. I have you and you have me. We'll be alright."

"We will?" she asked softly.

"Yes."

Emma smiled at him and then, when he kissed her, she felt as if time had slowed to a halt. It was only him and her, alone in their own world.

She knew she was still the Dark One, but it didn't matter. They would get through it, like they always have. For once, there were no worries, no qualms and uncertainties floating around in her head. She was happy. Because she knew that no matter what hit them, no matter what they faced, they would get through it together.

She knew they would be okay, and that was all that mattered.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I was blown away by the response to the last chapter! Thank you so much. Since you guys asked so nicely, here's a epilogue for ya!**

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 **Ok, here it goes *deep breath*. Thank you SO MUCH to: Scorp' Blues, Carlet, lashawna kaiser, 28GarnetAquarius, EmmyLou74, buildabear4you, Beans827, Suzi65, Ni Castle, misfiredcanon, Alura, zayin119, DarkPhantomlight, Peter00Pan, hookXemma, booklover457, LOKI, Skyeward MusicLover, Swan19, DamienMunchkin, Ema, Nonamenoslogan, Cassie, fullsignal, Paige Turner, Cassandra Alexis Carter, Sharbar, whatthemindcreates, Weirdo Witch of the West, aishwarya kadaba, Jade Star, shealynvictoria, Annabel, Baibe, Doogie, jessica, FandomQueen, OutlawxQueenx73, moocow01, kathleen murphy 12979431, coden onodera, sassyandsweet56, Babi, PilarMorgenstern, Gabygalvao, BeethovenFA03, Jessjunky, kiara, Katelyn, Smee, Mary, Lily, K, SarahtheBeast, Paupaupi, takeawaltz, hey-dairy-queen, sofiaibat, Im a Castle fan, echouljian, annerrr, Guest100, isis479, Cbetzhold97, all of the wonderful Guest reviewers, and of course, all the reviews *wink wink* to come (hopefully). And a great big thank you to all the favourites and follows as well!**

 **I HOPE I got everyone 0.0**

 **There will definitely NOT be a sequel to this, but I may be writing more OUaT (and other fandom) fanfics in the future, especially after the season 5 premiere :)**

 **Hey, did you know that Regina actually means Queen in Italian? I thought that was kinda interesting...**

 **And also, have you seen the new Season 5 promo poster? It's EPIC! And they're adding Merida from Brave! I'm so excited!**

 **DISCLAIMER: For the absolute LAST time, I don't own OUaT :(**

 **I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!**

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

Emma was nervous.

Hell, she was _beyond_ nervous.

She was downright terrified.

Emma wasn't really the type of girl to stay in one place. She had always been a wanderer, moving wherever the wind took her. Sure, she dated. She had been in some relationships. But _marriage_! Marriage was a big step. She wasn't sure she was ready for it.

So she did what she was best at. She ran.

Now here she was, sitting on the edge of the docks. It was her go-to place to be alone; to think. Emma sighed. They would notice she was missing in a few moments, if they hadn't already.

The last year had been hectic, if there was any word for it. Zelena had had her baby—she wasn't exactly a good role model, but she had her daughter's interests at heart, and that was all that really mattered. She had been released from her holding cell, though she still wore the cufflink prohibiting her from using magic of any sort. The witch took care of her little girl, along with Robin and Regina. They three had worked out a system of whom would take care of little baby Ava when (of course, Zelena still harboured jealously towards her sister and still hadn't completely let her in).

Speaking of the outlaw and the queen, they had gotten married only a few months ago. They were living happily together with Roland, Henry, and Zelena's newborn. Regina had finally accepted she deserved a happy ending—she had one now. Robin had gotten a steady job working for the Sheriff's department and he had even enrolled Roland in Henry's school. The little boy had fit in easily.

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle had made amends. Their relationship was rocky, but things were slowly getting better. Gold was still getting used to his newfound powers and his wife didn't hesitate in assisting, albeit still mistrustful of him. As for Will, he left a couple of months ago and hadn't been seen since. Robin told them not to worry—the man was a wanderer and had supposedly set out on an unknown mission. He had mentioned something about an Anastasia, though Emma had no idea who she was.

As for Lily, she still didn't know who her father was. Maleficent wasn't any help in the matter either, though the woman had worked hard to try and turn over a new leaf. Emma had a suspicion that the father had been Merlin, based on the necklace Lily had shown her, but she couldn't be sure. Besides, if he was, Emma didn't have the heart to tell her friend that her suspected father was now dead. No one in town knew of Merlin's demise—only her and the others who had been there.

And her mother and father—they gave baby Neal all the love she had never gotten. Not that she was bitter. Emma was happy for her little brother and her parents. She had to admit, there were times when her parents were hesitant when allowing her to stay alone with Neal, but she knew where their worries came from. She didn't blame them.

Henry had found someone too. He was nearly fifteen now and she supposed he had been after the hatter girl for quite some time now. What was her name again? Grace? Paige? She was a sweet girl, but Emma saw the fear in her eyes every time she came over. She was scared of her. Most people were scared of Emma at first, but they had adapted. They had a reason to be scared at least—the Dark One had quite a reputation.

None of them had heard from Mordred or Morgan le Fay since they had parted a year ago, but she would be glad to never hear from them again. She hadn't forgiven them yet and she likely never would. Especially Mordred. She was past killing him now, but was even further from speaking to him civilly. Not after what he made her do to everyone, to Killian.

And that brought her to _him_. Killian. Only a few months after the big fiasco with Mordred, he had gotten down on one knee and proposed. It was beautiful. They were here, at this very spot, watching the moon cast its light on the glistening water. And what had she done? Emma, being the idiot that she was, had said no. She was _scared._ Scared of the commitment, scared of everything the ring meant. She had run from him, leaving him alone on the docks staring after her. Afterwards, she realized it might have been the biggest mistake of her life, but Killian hadn't been deterred.

He _understood_ her. He knew she was scared and he understood that. So he gave her time. He gave her time, and he was always there when she needed him. There were a few scary weeks when she thought he wouldn't try again. When she thought their relationship would only go that far. But then, when he got down on his knees the second time, it was as if the world had come to a halt.

This time she didn't hesitate in saying yes.

Now here she was, only a few moments before she would have to walk down the aisle and forever bind herself to the man she knew she loved. She was scared out of her mind. Emma took a shaky breath, staring down at the beautiful feathers adorning her gown. It had been her mother's and now it was hers. She was getting it dirty no doubt, but right now, she didn't really care.

A few moments passed in silence before Emma felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see none other than her husband to be staring right back at her. "You know," she said wryly, "it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Killian smirked. "Isn't it also bad luck for the bride to run away before the wedding, love?"

"I'm not running away," she retorted. "Just...getting some fresh air."

He stayed silent, smiling slightly.

"Do you really want this?" she blurted suddenly. "I mean...do you really want to marry me?"

Killian stared her straight in the eyes, moving closer and bending down until he was level with her. "With every fibre of my being, Swan."

"But I'm the Dark One," she whispered quietly, her voice breaking a little.

"And I'm a pirate," he replied, shrugging. "Tell me, Emma. Have you killed anyone in the past year?"

She shook her head.

"Have you physically hurt anyone?"

She shook her head.

"There you go!" he laughed. "Swan, I don't care if you're the Dark One. You're still my Emma, and that's all that matters."

"I won't grow old," she pointed out. "I'm immortal. On the other hand, the rest of you will."

"I've done some research," answered Killian. "The Dark One can age if they wish to, but they won't die."

"So I'll have to watch everyone around me die."

"I promise you, Emma," said Killian, suddenly serious. "I will do everything in my power to free you from the Dark One's curse."

"I've had thoughts," she said sadly. "Urges. To hurt people...even kill."

"But you haven't acted on any of these urges," he persisted. "And that's the important thing."

She sighed, instinctively moving away from him.

Killian followed her, gesturing to the barely visible scales on the edges of her fingertips. "Remember when they were nearly up to your neck? They've been like that for a year now. You've been the same as you always were, even before you became the Dark One."

"It's only a matter of time before I do something," she argued, looking down.

"And I'll be there," he said simply, gently gripping her chin and moving her head up to face him. "We're true loves, remember? I'll be there to help you control it. Always."

Emma met his fiery gaze with her own and leaned in. When their lips met, it wasn't wild or full of passion. It was slow and gentle. He smelled of the ocean and strawberries and she longed to stay there forever. But she knew she couldn't.

She moved back, breathing softly. "We have to go," she whispered. "We're kinda getting married. The others must be waiting."

"Let them wait," said Killian quietly; capturing her lips in a kiss once more.

Emma knew they should be going. She knew they couldn't stay here forever. But right now all that mattered was him and her...and she couldn't be happier.

* * *

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* * *

They arrived at their wedding exactly two hours late, hand in hand and laughing. The fear was gone, replaced by a calm sense of anticipation. Archie, the flustered officiator of the wedding, hurried up to them and grabbed them both by the wrists, dragging them up to the front.

Emma smiled as she saw a very relieved looking Mary Margaret and David staring at her proudly. They waved and she managed to wave back before Archie yanked her rather forcefully towards the front. He muttered something about the bride and groom nearly missing their own wedding, and then continued to proceed with the vows.

It all passed by in a blur—when the famous words were said, Emma thought she would faint and punch someone in the face simultaneously. "You may now kiss the bride."

Killian leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you," he murmured quietly.

Emma smiled. She was still the Dark One. Maybe she would always be the Dark One. But right now, she didn't care. She didn't care at all.

"I love you too."

* * *

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* * *

And two years later, when the Dark One finally exited Emma's body for good, trapped in a prison of Rumpelstiltskin's own fashion, she collapsed in Killian's arms. He held her close and she sunk right into his body, breathing in the scent of leather and the sea.

Emma knew there would be more. A new villain, new fights for her to win. Life in Storybrooke was far from peaceful. But none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was she was with him and he was with her and they were all together.

Because that's what happiness really is: love.

She had it.

And she would never let go.

* * *

 _Fin_


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